if you go to the cinema to be entertain and amuse and so a to fill up your time and do not go out of your way to watch this film . if you go to the cinema to appreciate the depth of human kind and the feeling of real people and to explore the characteriology of personality and if you go to the cinema to absorb magnificent photography and be sure to put this film very high on your list and preferably in first place . the experience be profoundly rewarding and cause the intelligent viewer to make diverse reflexion over the meaning of life itself . with mar adentro alejandro amenábar have surpass the best he have do to date and and even redeem certain deviation in his early film which smack a little of be aim at hollywood . this be not the case with this visual poem put to music represent hollywood could never get anywhere near the effect of this tinglingly inspired human and humane story . in no way should one interpret mar adentro a an apologia for euthanasia while this story and base on the real life of the galician fisherman ramón sampedro and be a cry from the bottom of the heart for life and love and a reach out for human compassion and for understanding emotion . sampedro be an articulate and intelligent man who after a diving accident off the rock of the galician coast a a young man be condemn to live the next 27 year in bed . condenado a vivir ( 2001 ) ( tv ) be the first version of this man life on which i have already comment . however and amenábar have succeed remarkably at portray this man and with his permanent enigmatic smile and witty sense of humour and in an equally articulate and intelligent way . and javier bardem rise to the occasion and meet the challenge head on and complete with a galician accent and produce an electrifying and compelling and enthral performance and such that the actor and the fisherman become fuse into be the same person on screen . here and indeed and be an occasion to doff your cap and and softly mutter chapeau . bardem be drive on in his task by a magnificent cast and especially belén rueda and lola dueñas and mabel rivera and celso bugallo ( los lunes al sol ) ( qv ) and clara segura and galician and catalan accent take prominent part . amenábar produce wonderful dialogue a these six rotate among themselves one on one and or in group and with excellent chemistry and thus demonstrate that this young chilean born spanish director be an artist who know what he be at and how to get his result while his global concept of the film include his own music and intersperse with piece by beethoven and puccini on sampedro record player . whilst view mar adentro and i find myself a couple of time compare him and this film with stephen daldry and his masterpiece the hour ( qv ) . i refer to the way in which the dialogue work with tenseness and passion and that careful sense of timing in each scene . javier aguirresarobe photography be superb a usual . a i have mention elsewhere on imdb and he do not simply film the event and scene he capture even the feeling and the atmosphere of the moment and deftly catch that look in the eye and light and shadow and such that his work behind the camera be at once another player in the story . a superb artist . mar adentro be another landmark in the history of spanish cinematography and among the best five or six work of art produce here in the last 25 year . this film place itself alongside such cinematographic art a el sur ( qv ) and los santos inocentes ( qv ) and el abuelo ( qv ) and la lengua de la mariposa ( qv ) and la ratas ( qv ) and a los que aman ( qv ) and and i think i must add te doy mi ojos ( qv ) . superbly orchestrate story of a real man and and those who love him around his bedside represent not to be miss .