Mar Adentro: A Film about the Right to Die

Yesterday, I watched Mar Adentro (Spanish, translates as 'Sea of Life'). The film was about a physically disabled man wanting to die. The film was masterfully done. It won the Best Foreign Language Oscar in 2004. I should have been able to experience its substance to the fullest. But I could not.

Because, something I had read years ago, something once pointed out to me by someone, which kept coming back to me.

It was during a sort of debate I have had on an earlier post 'The Right to Die'. I had then read of a particular judicial case of whether or not to administer death to Terri Schiavo - a person in persistent vegetative state. She had become brain dead, and after long years of judicial debate, the court had ruled in favour of administering death, considering it to be what Terri Schiavo herself would have wanted, and respecting her wish. I had agreed, and wrote an article against people who seems to be denying us the 'Right to Die'. The debate had then ensued on the blog when another one questioned this logic, and we continued for quiet a while researching the case of Terri Schiavo over the internet.

In the course of this debate, I was once pointed out a link to an article, which did have quiet an effect on me, though it did not derail me from my belief that the right to die is as much mine as the right to live. A phrase from that article which struck me most was: "... I believe that the American public, to one degree or another, holds that disabled people are better off dead." Do we glorify death for such cases because we ourselves are afraid of being in those states? Would extremely disabled people see life and death in the same way as we do? If they choose to die at all, would it be out of not being able to lead what we call a 'proper life', or just to get rid of unbearable pain or suffering? The article had more an effect on me than I had then thought, as I realise today, from its coming back to me while watching this beautiful movie. Anyway, that debate ended when logic was finally challenged with faith - and as always, no logic could ever counter faith, no matter how strong the logic be. Basically, we both jumped onto faith - me leaping into faith in logic (for the case), my opposition leaping onto faith in life and the sacredness of its continuity.

Coming back to Mar Adentro, it is a beautifully done movie, recommended for any movie lover.