The Others (2001)

There's a song by an Italian rapper which spoils the ending of some of the films with the most shocking twists. I love that song but it spoiled several films for me —The Sixth Sense, The Prestige, The Game (which I'm yet to see), and The Others. This is the reason I've been putting off this film, hoping that I would eventually forget about the twist. I realised that, unless I hit my head really hard, I will never forget it so I finally watched it. 

Set around the end of WWII, the film follows Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman) and her two children, Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley), who are both allergic to sunlight. They live alone in a mansion on a British isle as the husband and father (Christopher Eccleston) is yet to return from the war and the housekeepers have mysteriously vanished. Suddenly, three friendly caretakers, an old lady, Mrs. Mills (Fionnula Flanagan), a mute young girl, Lydia (Elaine Cassidy), and a gardener, Mr. Tuttle (Eric Sykes), arrive, strange events occur and Grace begins to question her sanity.

The Sea Inside (2004)

Original Title

Mar Adentro

Genre

Biography | Drama

Director

Alejandro Amenábar

Country

Spain

Cast

Javier Bardem, Belén Rueda, Mabel Riveira, Lola Dueñas, Celso Bugallo, Clara Segura, Joan Dalmau, Alberto Jiménez, Tamar Novas, Francesc Garrido, José María Pou, Alberto Amarilla, Andrea Occhipinti

Plot

Based on a true story, the film tells the story of Ramón Sampedro (Javier Bardem), a man bedridden due to an accident: a dive from a cliff that went wrong, that left him a quadriplegic. He spends his time looking out of the window and writing poetry. After 25 years of living in this way, he tries a legal battle against the Spanish government for the right of euthanasia: his only desire is to die.

Opinion

The Sea Inside is a masterpiece. Usually films about euthanasia tend to be influenced by a part of humanity (in favor or not of euthanasia), but this is not the case. This film is able to enhance and deliver the feelings of the characters involved and doesn't take sides. Loved Ramón's permanent smile and his sense of humor.
The scene that impressed me the most is a pure fantasy one: Ramón flies through the window up to the beach, on the tune of Puccini's Nessun Dorma. 

Quotes

Ramón: When you can't escape, and you constantly rely on everyone else, you learn to cry by smiling, you know?

Padre Francisco: Freedom without a life is not freedom.
Ramón: A life without freedom is not a life.