"Relax... you're more and more relaxed." "Now, imagine a screen... a movie screen that unfolds and opens in front of you." "Project on it your favorite place." "Concentrate on your breathing, helping your entire body to relax, to feel at peace." "You don't need to change it." "Just let it come and go." "Come... and go." "Now... you are there." "Focus on the details." "The colors... the textures... the light... the temperature, feel the temperature." "Allow this scene to play out in front of you." "The feeling of peace is infinite." "Can you see it?" "It's really coming down." "Let's make sure this is good and closed." "Do you feel better?" "Well, it's hard with the scenery in front of me." "What scenery?" "You can see through your skirt." "You're so crude." "Well, you know what?" "I won't read for you anymore." "Oh, and it's time." "I'm going to pick her up." "Well, I'll get up and make some coffee." "Do you want some music?" "Yeah, play what's there." "Well, there you go." "I leave you with your Wagner." "See you in a bit." "THE SEA INSIDE" "Julia, get in the car." "You're going to freeze." "That girl is so stubborn." "You're Gene, right?" "I'm Marc." " Hi." " Where's Julia?" "It seems like Galicia is not too fond of us." "Yeah, well, it is February." " How was the flight?" " Fine." "We finally meet." "Yeah, hey, would you mind coming in my car?" "We agreed that only one person would come, that was it." " I know." " Yes, and?" " Oh, Marc just came to take notes." " Yeah, but can he be trusted?" " Yes." "Well, he works at the firm." " Look," "I'm not sure you understand what Ramon needs to do." "Of course I know what he needs to do." "We've spoken." "Okay, but today it's you guys, tomorrow the press, then maybe the TV crews, and Ramon gets all panicked that all of this will look bad from the start." "Do you understand?" "Look, the only thing I can tell you... is that I came to do my best." "I hope so." "And let me remind you that all of this is very important to me, not just as a professional." "Believe me, I understand Ramon quite well." " Hello." " Hello." "I'm Julia." " You're the attorney." " Mm-hmm." "That's Manuela, Ramon's sister-in-law." " Would you like some help?" " No, no, not at all." "They're here." " Hi." " Hi." "Sorry for not shaking your hand." "What do you mean?" "I've heard you're a little nervous." "Well, let's see... first, I eat breakfast." " At what time?" " At 9:30." "Don't think I'm an early bird." "And... then, I listen to the radio." "What do you like to listen to?" "A little bit of everything," " but mostly debates." " You like debates?" "Yes." "Yeah, it gets me going." "You see?" "It's my personal computer." "Did you design it?" "Yeah, I like to invent things." "Then, my father or nephew will build them." "Oh, you got serious." "Ramon... why die?" "Well, let's see..." "I want to die because... life for me in this condition... life like this has no dignity." "Let me tell you." "I understand that other quadriplegics might get offended when I say... that life like this has no dignity." "I don't judge anyone." "Who am I to... to judge those who want to live?" "That's why I ask that neither me, nor the person who helps me die, be judged." "And you think someone will help you?" "Well... that all depends on those..." "those in charge at the flophouse, right?" "It will depend on them overcoming their fear." "No, not at all, it's not that serious." "If death has always existed and will always exist, if in the end, it gets us all... everyone of us, if it becomes part of us, all of that... why do people get so shocked when I say" "that I want to die?" "As if... as if... as if it were something contagious." "If we end up going to trial, you'll be asked why you don't seek an alternative to your handicap." "For instance, why do you refuse a wheelchair?" "Accepting a wheelchair would be like accepting the crumbs of what used to be my freedom." "Look, think about this:" "You're sitting there, right?" "A little less than five feet away." "Well, what's five feet?" "An insignificant journey for any human being." "Well, those five feet, necessary to reach you let alone to even touch you," "is an impossible journey for me." "It's a false hope... a dream." "That's why I want to die." "Three hours are up, Ramon." "All right." "They have to change my position." "Would you mind waiting downstairs?" "He called us a year ago." "He literally thought we would help him die." "I told him what was available." "We could offer him moral support, legal advice, but we wouldn't put cyanide in his mouth." "He got really upset." "He called us fakes, he... well, I had to hang up on him." "A few days later, he calls back, much calmer." "I was surprised at how he had everything in perspective." " Has he ever wavered?" " Never." "That's important." " How long has he been like that?" " 26 years." "At the beginning, his mother took care of him, and when she passed on, his sister-in-law took over." "How's that?" "Put this arm a little higher." "There you go." " I'm going to change your catheter." " Not now, Manuela." "It will be quick." "If they have to wait, let them wait." "She's married to Ramon's brother, Jose." "They live off the farm and a little orchard that they have." "What about them?" "What do they think about all this?" "I... ideas are free, but I think that what..." "what he's asking for is not right." "Why not?" "I want the best for him, everyone in this house wants the best for him." "So why does he want to die?" "No one gets that." "It's not rational, as he says." "I can't..." "I can't give him it and I won't allow..." "I will not allow him to do it in this house." "I won't allow it." " Hello." " Hello." " That doesn't go there, Javi?" " Sure it does, Mom." "Yeah, yeah." "Take it up to your room." "Oh, your uncle wants you to take a look at the machine." " Your backpa..." " I know." "What's wrong with it?" "One of the rollers is a little stiff." "Didn't you have an exam today?" "Where's that attorney guy?" "Attorney "girl."" "She's somewhere around with Gene and grandpa." "He took them to the beach." "Maybe they'll end up in Corunna." "He's always losing it." "Don't talk like that about your grandpa, Javi." "Well he is, he's senile." "Of course." "He's old." "What do you expect?" "For him not to be so nosey." "He sits at home all day." "Like we really need him." "What?" "Look, one day... one day, perhaps years from now, but one day, you'll deeply, deeply regret what you just said, that you'll hate yourself." " But why?" " One day." "You'll see." "One day." "The sea is very treacherous here." "Those who dare swim here have to be extremely careful." "My son jumped from right here." "I don't know what he was thinking." "I don't know." "What happened was he jumped right when the undertow pulled back... and snapped his neck against the sea floor." "It's a real shame." "This is something that... what I mean is... well, if it's God's will, he'll have to go on living." "But you know he doesn't want to." "But he doesn't say anything... he never told me anything." "He says nothing." "We only shed tears that bring us joy." "If we win death, if we're lucky, we'll go to heaven... because we've spent our entire life in hell." "Well, if that was your image, it's maybe because the judges or juries or the politicians who must decide understand a little bit why, as apparently they can't enter the psychological pain of the person." "Maybe they can understand that life is not about that." "Why are you smiling so much, Ramon?" "When you can't escape and you constantly rely on everyone else, you learn to... cry by smiling, you know?" " Good morning." " Good morning." "Does Ramon Sampedro live here?" "Yes." "Can I help you?" "I was going for a ride and I thought I'd pay him a visit." "I've heard that many people are coming to visit him." "Well." "Just for a bit." "I'm Rosa." "Come on over, dear." "Come over." " Where are you from?" " Boiro." "I rode my bike here." "Oh, God." "I..." "I feel like such a fool." "Why's that?" "Well, because I don't know what to say." "I don't really know you." "Well, don't worry about it." "Can't you see I can't do anything else?" "Go on, have a seat." "Why did you come here?" "Wow, you're making it difficult for me." "Okay, what do you do for a living?" "I work in a canning factory." "I also have a radio show on Radio Boiro on Wednesdays and Fridays." "You don't say..." "I think I may have heard you." " Really?" " Mm-hmm." "But I'm just an amateur and nothing else." "You're good at it." "Really good." "Yeah... quote-unquote, right?" "I have a thing about getting started, but once I do, they can't stop me." "I have two little children." " And a husband?" " No." "Well, yes, but we left him." "And you're alone right now?" "Let's see..." "I had a boyfriend, the father of my second son, but he left me too..." "we left him." "So now I'm on my own." "But I'm fine, don't worry." "No, I'm just asking in case I had a chance." "Why are you laughing?" "Oh, I'm sorry." "Easy, I'm just teasing you, girl." "Besides, I'm not sure I'd want to deal with two kids." "My nephew is bad enough." "I caught you on TV the other day." "Oh, yeah, we're getting closer now." " Closer to what?" " To the reason why you're here." "I heard what you were saying, and then I noticed your eyes," " which are beautiful." " Thank you." "And I thought, "His eyes are so full of life, how could someone with those eyes want to die?"" "Look, we all have problems and we don't have to run from them, you know?" "No, I don't run from my problems." " On the contrary." " Of course you run, of course you do." "That's why I wanted to come." " Why?" " Well... to make you feel like living." "To tell you that life..." "That life what?" "That it's worth it, right?" "Let's see... did you come here to see me or to convince me?" "No, I came because I want to be your friend, Ramon." "Well, if you want to be my friend, Rosa, start by respecting my wishes." "How can you be so thickheaded?" "And don't judge me." "Don't you judge me, Rosa." "Don't you judge me, not in my own home." "Or do you want me to judge you?" "Do you want me to judge you?" "Why don't we talk about..." "Why don't we talk about the real reason you're here?" "Why don't we talk about how obvious it is that you're a frustrated woman who woke up this Saturday hoping to make sense of your own life?" "Huh?" "Right." "Run... you can." "Thank you." "Do you want me to play something?" "No, darling." "You keep on being cheerful." "Good night." "Good night." "Well, it's 8:45 and we're on Radio Boiro." "Please remember you can call in with your musical requests." "Before we go on," "I'd like to dedicate the next song to someone whom..." "I don't know, maybe he's listening." "I know he listens to the radio quite a lot." "I'd love for him to call in one day and request a song." "But I know he won't do it because, well, we didn't end on good terms the last time we met." "But for what it's worth," "I'd love to tell him that I'm sorry." "I'm sorry I judged you, Ramon." "I'm a total beast." "What can you do?" "Nothing, right?" "For you, Ramon, my friend." ""Black Shadow."" " Yes?" " Hello." "Gene, how's it going?" "Fine." "Well, I'm still at the office." "You keep us busier than a dumb child, Ramon." "I'm kidding, kidding." "Hey, that interview was just brilliant." " RDD Association" " We are getting calls of support" " Right to Die with Dignity - non-stop, Ramon." "This is perfect for the trial." "Oh, are you starting?" "You have to cheer up, we won't get anywhere like that." "Besides, you already knew we'd have to go through this." "Sure, darling, of course, yeah." "Hey, Julia, the attorney, would like to see you again, and this time for a longer time." "She fell in love with me." "You wish, handsome." "Besides, she's married." "No, no, she says she needs to get to know you better in order to prepare the case." "That's what they all say." "Hang on." "Two minutes." "Hm, hey... you know... the guy that came with her?" "I think he's likes me." "You're gonna leave me for an attorney?" " No." " Your loss." "Well, looking good... your leg." "Yeah, it moves, that's for sure." " I'm glad." " Let's see..." "This will be very easy." "You just have to answer with your heart." "You mean with my head, right?" "With your head." "You don't mind if I tape you, right?" "Let's see, let's start with your youth, before the accident, okay?" " What were you doing back then?" " Uh, is that necessary?" "It was such a long time ago..." " Your memory's that bad?" " No, it's just that, well..." "I thought we'd talk about my petition for suicide." "Of course we'll do that, Ramon." "It's just that it's very important for the judge to identify with you and to understand you." "And in order to do that, I need to know who Ramon Sampedro is and who he used to be." "Really?" "You're going to use it against me down the road." "Man, you're really thickheaded, huh?" "I'm just your attorney, Ramon, I'm on your side." "Okay." "All right, well... let's see, at age 19, I grabbed my things and..." "I went out to see the world, right?" "And that's what I did for a few years until... until the accident." "Hang on a second, I'm sorry." " You traveled the world at age 20?" " Betcha you don't know how?" "As a ship mechanic." "I'm always telling my nephew," ""Sailors travel for free."" "What?" "Are you looking for proof?" "No, it's just I didn't see any pictures of you around here... from your youth." "Why?" "Do I look that ugly now or what?" "Okay, I'm done with the questions, it's over." "You don't like to look back, do you?" "No, of course not." "I look to the future." " And what's in your future?" " Death." "Same with you." "Or you never think about death?" "As if I were the only one who thinks about death." "Yes, of course I think about it." "I just try to avoid it being the only thing I think about." "It's going to rain tomorrow." "It's gonna rain." "I think he whistled." " I didn't hear anything." " Yes, yes, yes." "What are you doing?" "The game's on." "Javi, you know I don't like soccer, man." "Why don't you watch it on the TV downstairs?" "Hey, you know that if you want to convince me, you have to give me a rational explanation, right?" "Right?" "And a good one, too." "Depor is playing." "Well..." "Well, that's not a rational explanation, man." " But that's important." " Why?" "Because it's crucial for the team." "If they lose this one, then they can only reach second place." "Okay, turn it on." "Carping..." " He raises his head, Russo..." " Can you see okay?" "Passes it straight, and for now that's all." "It goes to Comiche, to Salgado, Carping falls down, and he stays down." " Paulo Silva gets the ball." " Oh." "You heard him whistling too?" "Ramon said you asked about pictures." "Yes." "Surely there are some around." "I'll look for them tomorrow." "Thanks." "If you need extra blankets, they're in the closet." "June evenings are still chilly around here." "Manuela..." " No, no, no." " Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes." "But I can't accept it, I just can't." "Manuela, look, I'm gonna be here for a few days, right?" "The least I can do is contribute in some way." "But this is on top of you working for free." "I do it because I want to." "Manuela, please." "Okay." "If you need anything at all, just let me know." "Thank you." "Hey, what are you guys plotting in there?" "Nothing." "It's a pity you can't see the sea from here." "Just the way I like it." "That way I can see it whenever I want." "How's that?" "Well, whenever I feel like it," "I concentrate... and I take a stroll out to the sea." "I fly there." "I would imagine the sea means a lot to you, right?" "The sea gave me my life and then took it away." "I'm not sure that means anything." "Tell me a few things about that day, the day your life changed, okay?" " Go ahead." " Well, for starters, when did it happen?" "August 23, 1968." "You were living with your parents back then." "Sure, whenever I wasn't at sea." "I was just a kid." "Were you alone at the beach that day?" "No, I was with..." "with some friends, people from the village." "But how did someone who knew the sea as well as you not take into account the undertow?" "I was distracted." "Distracted?" "Yeah, I don't know... my mind was somewhere else." "And?" "Well, let's leave it at that." "It's all the same." "I can see you don't want to talk about that either." "No, I'm just remembering things." "Just remembering." "Next thing I knew, I was in the air, jumping into very shallow water." "Did you lose consciousness?" "No... not at all." "I was face down, floating around." "And you know what?" "It's true what they say about those who are about to die... that thing about suddenly seeing your life flashing before your eyes." "That happened to me." "And what did you see?" "They say that... when you're drowning, and you have no air left, you die instantly." "It's a sweet death." "I should have died back then." "And do you still see all these people?" "Well, some of them I do, and others, I don't." "Who's this girl?" "Just a girl..." "Well, she's in a lot of pictures." "She used to live in the village." "Can I get a drag?" "You smoke?" "Every now and then, hoping it will kill me." "But it doesn't." "She was my girlfriend." "Your girlfriend?" "What happened to her?" "Well, nothing." "She hung around the hospital for a while." "And one day she blurted out some nonsense about us getting married, and I told her, "Okay, look, get out of here" "and go about your life as best you can and forget about me."" "Did you love her?" "That wasn't the problem." " What do you mean it wasn't?" " No... the question was whether... whether I was willing to love in this condition." "Are you saying that you refuse to love because?" "Because I can't love, exactly, yes." "So what I have to tell the judges is that, in your opinion, quadriplegics have no right to fall in love, right?" "But who... who's talking about quadriplegics here?" "I'm talking about me, about Ramon Sampedro." " There are other ways of making love." " Yeah, sure." "Has any girl kissed you in these 27 years?" "What, are you gonna give me a demonstration now?" "The girl from Boiro is here." "What girl from Boiro?" "Cristian, I said come here." " Rosa." " Hello, Ramon." "I said come here." "Leave him alone, woman." "Let's see, are you a good boy or a bad boy?" "A bad boy." "Well, then I'm not so sure we'll get along, huh?" " I'm Julia." " I'm Rosa." "Charmed." "Hey, am I interrupting?" " No." " No." "No." "I'll leave you guys alone for a while." " How are you doing?" " Fine." "I hope you haven't come here to encourage me to go on living, like you always do." "Oh, no, please." "Well, I don't know..." "I felt like seeing you so you could meet my brats." "I like that much better." "Cristian." "Cristian." "Stop it, will you?" "We're not at home." "This is Samuel." "Hey, Sami, say hi." "Hi, Sami." "Sami." " What's Ramon saying?" " Sami." " He's very shy." " Why are you in bed?" "Because he can't move." "I told you." "Is it true you don't feel anything?" "Oh, what's the matter?" "Let's see, are you hot?" "You never know with this weather." "Well, since we've been waiting a month to be paid, we decided not to show up today." "Maybe now they'll take us seriously." "So it's like a holiday for us." "I made them breakfast, we hopped on the bus, and, off to see Ramon." "Ow." " What happened?" " Nothing, nothing." "Oh, Samuel, why are you crying?" " Manuela..." " Yes?" "In all honesty, what do you think about all of this?" "What do I think about what?" "About... about your brother-in-law's wish to die." "That's what he wants." "Right, but... but you... what would you want, what would you prefer?" "It's just that my preferences don't matter." "Ramon wants to die." "It's all very clear to me." "You want to see something?" " Something?" " Yes." "Come on." "Cristian, leave that alone." "I said leave it." "I'm gonna spank your butt till it's bright red." "It's mostly poetry." "I never threw anything away." "It just makes me very sad because of how difficult it is for him to write." "And the handwriting..." "look." "I've never seen more beautiful handwriting, you know?" "Well, I'm going back downstairs, okay?" " Manuela..." " Yes?" "It's going to take me a while to read it all." "Would you mind telling Ramon that?" "You took a stroll..." " along the beach." " Thanks." " Of course." " Mom..." "That's the first and last time I bring you along." "But Mom, that guy is totally faking it." " The last time." " Mom, I'm telling you." "And she didn't say when she'd be back?" "Just a stroll." "So take advantage of it and rest a little." "You can complain later." " Why?" " Because." "Not a minute goes by that a woman doesn't enter this house." "One might think you were making a harem." "Come on, Manuela." "You know I'm only married to one." "Yeah, to death." " You don't want anything else?" " No." "They told me you were here... and I came flying." "Manuela..." "Hi." "How was your stroll?" "I've been reading, Ramon." "I've been reading everything you've written so far." "Did you know... that what you've written... is wonderful?" "So in addition to being an attorney, you're also a writer." "Go ahead, laugh if you want." "But I'm telling you, all of this can be published." "Of course it can be published, darling, nowadays everything gets published." "Well, I can't think of a better way to support your case." "It's your voice." "Look, Julia," "I don't know... this was much clearer at the beginning, you know?" "Supposedly you came here with... with a purpose, right?" "You came here to help me." " Yes, but..." " Right, and instead of doing that, you start questioning everything, looking for I don't know what..." "You meddle with... with my feelings..." "Do you want me to leave?" "What I want right now is a cigarette, please." "Sure." "I'll go get them." "Julia..." "Julia." "Julia, what happened?" "Julia..." "Are you okay?" "Julia." "Ma..." "Manuela!" "Manuela." "Manuela!" "Manuela." "Manuela!" "It's not because of what's happened to me." "It's because of what could happen to me." "Because one day it's the legs, and the next day... you can... end up blind." "And you may or may not recover." "Up to now I've been pretty lucky, but then the next heart attack hits." "And the next one, and the next one, and the next one, and nobody can tell you when or what it's going to be like." "Nobody can tell you what's going to be left of you, if there's anything left at all." "Your husband is quite optimistic." "And what good is it to be optimistic if there isn't even a medication for this?" "What good is it to try to stand up, to work, to have hopes if..." "if sooner or later you have another heart attack, and in the end, you fall down again and you fall to shit again?" "Don't you see how ridiculous it is?" "I've called you because I want to become a member of RDD." "I first thought about it two years ago when I was diagnosed." "I backed out at the last minute." "But I can't do it again after this." "Not after this." "I just can't take it anymore." "This is not life." "Does your husband know?" "I'm not sure I want to tell him." "Well, you should." "Julia, fear is a very powerful weapon." "Fear doesn't give you the freedom to decide." "You're telling me this right now because of this fear." "Maybe down the road you'll back out again because of that, because of the same fear." "Don't act out of fear." "Supposedly you support people who want to commit suicide, right?" "No." "No." "You think that I just go around, telling everybody who has a problem that the best way out for them is to get out of the way?" "No." "No, freedom is what we support, the freedom of those who want to live and that of those who want to die." "It's a very different thing." "And CADASIL is a disease... yeah, I know, it's fucked up." "But all I'm telling you is to think it over a bit more." "Ramon gave me this for you." "If you want, we can talk about all this... some other day." "Well, how did she seem?" "Fine." "Yeah, huh?" "She seemed fine to me too." "Well, I'm very glad I met you." " Thank you for coming." " Not at all." " It's something else, I'm staying." " You're staying?" "Yes, wait for me, I'll be right over." "Okay." "Dear Julia, when Gene told me that an attorney had offered to take my case, there was one key factor in making my decision... and it was that that attorney was suffering from a degenerative disease." "I thought that only someone in that condition could really understand my own and share my hell." "Now I know sometimes it is worth living in that hell if that's the only way to meet people like you." "It's worth having shared a cigarette with them, or... like now, to show them some affection even if it's only by writing this silly letter." "And speaking of silly things, I'm correcting my writings in the hopes that you may soon come back and give me a hand." "At the moment, my nephew Javi has started to help me by typing them on his computer." "Other than that, life here is the same as always." "You know." "Manuela spent the whole month keeping me bundled up so that the fall doesn't catch me with my pants down." "Javi continues fighting with his grandpa." "I come up with little tasks for them to spend more time together." "A lot of my friends came to visit me this month, some of them have been doing it for 25 years, which never ceases to amaze me." "They enjoy telling me their stories, and I love every minute of it." "Do you remember Rosa, the girl from the cannery?" "I think she found some sort of shelter here." "The other day she wanted to help Manuela change my clothes and they ended up in an argument." "I once again realized that... whenever you rely on everybody else for everything, well, you lose your privacy." "In the end, I hope to be able to keep my little kingdom in order until you can cheer me up once again with your presence." "Big hug." "What's wrong?" "Let's see, what does it say here?" "Here, what does it say?" ""Life is not like that oh no."" "No, sir, it should read:" ""Life is not like that." Period..." ""Oh no?"" " No." "Let me see." " Yes, period." " Here?" " And you're missing an accent there." "It needs an accent... right there." "Don't you see?" "Huh? "Death is my friend," comma... where's the comma there?" "Well, what do they teach you guys in school?" "Honestly, you only have to pay attention to what I give you, man." "Even your grandpa would do a better job." "Look, Javi, if this is indicative of your help," "I'd rather you didn't, eh?" "Because you create more work for me, you see?" "Gimme the stick, man." "Gimme the stick." "Okay." "Pay a little more attention, okay?" "Javi." " Javi, what's wrong?" " Nothing." "Dear Ramon, sorry I took so long to reply to your letter, but the doctors have restricted my use of the computer and any other general activity that doesn't require me to exert the use of my legs." "They assure me I'll be able to walk again, even though they think I shouldn't continue working on your case." "There's a huge window in the rehabilitation room." "Sometimes I imagine myself passing through it and I fly, like you do, over Barcelona." "I arrive at the sea and I continue to fly until I just see a neverending horizon of water." "And I think, silly me, that if you do the same thing from Corunna, maybe you can travel the world once again and we could end up meeting somewhere on this planet." "I truly identified with your mention of the lack of privacy and freedom." "I try to withstand it, particularly for my husband, as he unselfishly cares for me." "But at the same time, I refuse to give in to this inertia, where I can only be thankful for what I'm given because I have no other choice than to accept it." "I hope to be able to see you in a few months and I remain true to my promise of helping you with the book." "Until then, thanks and warm wishes from a friend." "I knew that it could happen." "I knew it." "I knew it would happen." "Maybe we were wrong to come here." "No, Marc, no." "We had to try." "He had to be here." "Ramon doesn't have any money to pay for a legal battle like this." "It's up to us." "What do you want?" "We'll go back to Galicia and start over again." "As if justice were so speedy in this country." "Besides, I have to tell Ramon myself, you know?" "Gene, listen." "Listen, Gene." "I'm willing to put as much time into this as necessary." "Sure, Marc, but... time doesn't mean the same thing to you as it does to Ramon." "Quadriplegic Ramon Sampedro's petition requesting his euthanasia was thrown out yesterday by the courts due to a problem with form." "In the ruling, it was pointed out that the judicial process should have been started in Corunna, the place of residence of the quadriplegic, and not in Barcelona." "Many have raised their voices due to this case, among them, that of Catholic priest Francisco de Galdar, a quadriplegic, just like Ramon." "Ramon says he doesn't want to go on living, but I don't know." "I wonder if what Ramon is actually doing is asking... asking society, asking all of us, for some sort of attention?" " The nerve!" " Maybe it's because those around him, his family, his friends don't, don't know or are unable to give him the love, the support he needs." "What an asshole." "Wouldn't it be, in the end, that what Ramon is asking for is just a little bit of love?" "I'd really, really like to go see him." "I'd like to talk to him very much, and to convince him that there are plenty of reasons to go on living." "Don't you have to go to school?" "...a lot of news in our country, coming up next..." "Postage will go up as of next January." "The price of stamps for Spain..." "You must be happy now, right?" "You must be happy." "Your whole family has been humiliated on TV." "But you go on, man, keep it up." "Bring shame upon all of us." "What about you, Dad, aren't you going to say anything?" "Don't bring Dad into this, okay?" "Whatever you have to tell me, tell me it and be done." "You think you're so smart." "Nobody in this house wants to confront you." "But I have something to tell you, Ramon." "I want to tell you something." " Jose, brother, listen for a second." " I'm your older brother." "Please, listen to me for a minute." "What happens if you have an accident tomorrow and you die?" "No..." "I mean it, okay?" "Have you ever thought about that?" "Have you thought about what would happen to me?" "I'd have to take care of this family, wouldn't I?" "Your wife, your son, Dad... with my meager pension." "Or the other way around... should I go on living to make things even more difficult?" "L-l-l-et me tell you something, Ramon." "Look, I'm your older brother." "Your older brother." "And while I am alive, nobody kills anybody in this house, nobody kills anybody." "Do you hear me?" "Get it in your head, Ramon." "Nobody!" "Well, son, I'm leaving." "See you tomorrow, Dad." "I'll get it." "Good evening, Manuela." "I'm here to see Ramon." "Don't you see what time it is, dear?" "I know that, but I couldn't make it earlier." "I'll explain it to Ramon." "Look, I don't think he feels like seeing anybody." "You see, he didn't have a good day today." "Why don't you come tomorrow or the day after that?" "It's important." "The cannery is shutting down." "They say things aren't going well, that there's no money to pay us, so out, on our asses." "Fuck, they have no right." "No right at all." "Rosa." "Sorry, Ramon." "What are you sorry for, girl?" "Cry all you want." "I wish I could get up and hug you." "Just when I'd started to save some money..." "I wanted to buy you a telescope for the Epiphany." "Rosa, you don't have to buy me anything, okay?" "I'll get mad if you spend even a dime on me." "But I wanted to." "I wanted to... give you something." "But why do you have to give me anything?" "Because you've given me a lot, Ramon." "You have no idea how much." "I... no man has ever treated me as well as you have." "You were that ill-treated, child?" "I don't complicate my life anymore." "Now I know that I must be the problem, right?" "Men don't like me or whatever." "What are you saying, Rosa?" "How can men not like you?" "Wasn't that what you called me the first time I came?" ""A frustrated woman," you said." "Yeah... well, if I called you that, now I call you strong woman, and brave woman and good, and beautiful woman, and I'll call whoever doesn't see it an asshole, God damn it." "Rosa, please." "God, please, stop that." "You make me feel like a priest and they piss me off enough already." "Sit there." "Come on, sit, sit." "And leave the hand alone, child." "You know I don't feel it." "My son says you're pretending, that you're faking it." "But you do have feeling in your face, don't you?" "Oh, if only I could help you..." "I'd do anything to..." "You would help me?" "Yes." "Don't get scared, silly." "I've had it figured out for years so that... nobody ends up in jail, okay?" "I already have several friends who are willing to help me." "We're only missing a person," " a brave person, like you." " No." "No." "Help you heal... not to die." "Come on, guys." "Let's go." " You got it?" " Right, yes." "Careful, careful." "Come on, get here with me." " No, it doesn't fit over here." " 'Course it does." "It does not." "It doesn't fit over here." "Thanks." "Ramon says he understands the situation but he's not coming down." "Right." "I see... well, it doesn't matter." "Brother Andres." "Come here." "Okay, you go upstairs, please, and tell Ramon this, tell him and since we are inside eternity, life is not ours." "Then, of course, we take our bourgeois sense of, of private property to a ridiculous extreme." "But... oh, you've got to be kidding me... but the Church was always the first to secularize private property, man." " But, but I can't tell him that." " What do you mean you can't?" "Should I?" "...my life and choosing my beliefs." "...freedom to choose my beliefs..." "no, his beliefs and to make decisions about his own life." "Well, then you tell him that it would be a process as far as continuing life goes." "Why does the Church cling so passionately to the position of fearing death?" "Because they know they lose a great deal of customers if people are no longer afraid of the other side." "...and he'd like to remind you that, according to the polls, 67% of Spaniards would favor euthanasia." "Very well, very well, very well, then you tell him that moral questions are not solved through polls." "Because most of the German people..." "Because most of the German people" " also favored Hitler." " Now he... he compares me to Hitler!" " That's just total bullshit." " It's just total bullshit." "No, not that, no." "Not that." "Ask him what Hitler has to do with the price of eggs." " Eggs?" " No, no, wait." "Father Francisco, can you hear me?" "Yes, I hear you, Ramon, I hear you." "Then why are you comparing apples and oranges?" "I hope you didn't come here to be preach demagoguery, because you Jesuits, know quite a lot about that." "No, no, no, no, of course not." "But since you mentioned demagogy, Ramon, my friend, don't you find the expression "death with dignity"" "to be quite demagogical?" "Why don't you stop with the euphemisms and tell it like it is, as blunt as it may sound, "I'm gonna end my life," and be done with it?" "I'm surprised that you show such sensitivity towards my life, if you bear in mind that the institution you represent accepts nothing less than the death penalty nowadays, and for centuries condemned those who didn't think correctly" "to be burnt alive?" "Now you're the one preaching demagoguery." "Yes, of course, but all euphemisms aside, as you say, that's what they would have done to me, isn't it?" "Isn't it?" "Burn me alive." "Burn me for defending my freedom." "Ramon, my friend..." " He calls me "friend."" " Ramon, my friend, a freedom that ends life is no freedom at all." "And a life that ends freedom isn't a life either." "And don't call me "friend." And leave me alone." "Okay, let's go." "Well, you... since you seem to be good folks, give this man the will to live." "Show him that life... that life is not only moving your arms or running around or kicking a ball around or..." "what the hell?" "Life is actually something else." "Life is a lot more than that." "That's coming from me, okay?" "And what do you want us to do?" "Do you want us to gag him so he doesn't talk?" "Or to give him a rattle, like you do with little kids?" "Look, when you were on TV you said something that I haven't been able to get out of my mind." "Manuela, leave it alone." "You said that Ramon's family didn't give him enough affection." "Well, just so you know, we never stopped loving my brother-in-law in this house for one day, not a single day." "I've been caring for him for such a long time and I love him like a son." "I don't know which one of you is right." "And I don't know if it's true what you say about God, and how life belongs to Him, that it's not ours." "But I do know one thing, okay?" "You have a very big mouth." "Oh, Rosa, I told you there was no need, that I already shaved Ramon yesterday." "Right, but I know of a way to make it look better." "Where do you keep the soap?" "Oh, they're here." "I don't feel a thing." " You sure there's a kid in there?" " He's seven months old, handsome." "Well, he isn't moving." " You're the one that doesn't move." " Oh, now, now." " Now he's moving." " You see?" " He's happy to see you." " So what are you going to call him?" "Well, we haven't decided yet." "Okay, call him Ramon, so that one day, when he asks you why you named him that, you can tell him my story." " Right." " You can tell him yourself." "Right?" "No." "There's someone else who will also be very happy to see you." "Careful, Javier, careful." "No, not like that." " You gotta turn it around." " Grandpa, hush." "What?" "Why didn't you tell me?" " Because it was a surprise." " Of course." "Well, this is really..." "this is some present for the Epiphany." "I'm gonna open the windows a bit, it's sweltering in here." "We better leave you guys alone for a bit." " Come on." " Right?" " Shall we?" " Let's go." "What's up, sailor?" "Don't do that, they'll get the wrong idea." "Gene, leave him alone..." " You want coffee, Marc?" " Yes, please." " How are you, Rosa?" " Fine." "Ramon told me you've got another job." "Yes, I take care of some senior citizens." "So is this woman staying long?" "A couple of weeks, I think." "It depends on how long it takes to work on the book." "Well, then I guess I won't be able to shave him today." " All right, see you later." " Bye." "Bye, Rosa." "Okay, the judges have their hands tied by the law." "So what we're going to try is to get a sentence recommending that the government" " amend the penal law." " The government?" "The government's duty is to serve us, Javi." "Your uncle is far more important." "The court of first instance will not dare to side with us." "We already know that." "But where we can't fail is in the provincial hearing." "Javier." "Help me with the cows." "Come on." "Look... we have to convince the judges that Ramon is a serene and perfectly lucid person." "It would help us immensely if he testified in person." "Manuela... we have to get Ramon out of the house." "Care to tell me what you were doing in there, huh?" "Do you know what they're doing and what they want?" "So what should I do?" "Lock myself up in my room?" "Don't you realize what they want, Javier?" "Let's see... what's gonna happen if they win the case?" "Huh?" "Your uncle gets an injection and he dies, like a dog." "And you'll never see him again." "You'll never see him again, Javier." "Or did you think that death was temporary?" "Huh?" "Use your head, because death is very serious, you hear me?" "Your uncle will die and you'll never see him again." "Leave me alone." "Javier." "It's not that he doesn't feel like it, he just doesn't want the chair." "He doesn't want it." "Getting him out of the house once, maybe twice a year, is a complete battle." "Well, this has to be one of those times, Manuela." "It's very important for Ramon to make this trip." "And when would that be?" "I think the hearing would take place in spring, so there's time for him to get used to the idea." "There's only one thing worse than having a child die on you... for him to want to die." "Goodbye." "Okay, let's get to work." "...eternally, my seductive lover, beloved sea." "Can you really smell the sea from in here?" "Yes, sometimes, in the morning, if there's a breeze... and the window is open, I can." "I smell it... as if I were right there, you know?" "You sure do have a strong sense of smell." "Yes, the smell is probably what... what gives me the most intense feelings, see?" "The most fantasies." "Your smell, for instance." "My smell?" "Yes." "It's the first thing I get when... when I daydream about you." "Wow." "And what do you daydream about?" "Oh, many things." "They all have one thing in common:" "In all of them, I can move." "So..." "I get up and..." "I travel to where I imagine you might be at the moment." "And if I, say, imagine you're here, for instance, well..." "I just walk up to you and... and I do what I've wished so many times I could do to you." "Then... your smell becomes stronger, and I get dizzy." "And I can almost feel your heart beating fast." "Then, I feel your hands, and I completely lose my mind." "I completely lose my mind." "Is the water okay?" "Julia." "Julia, are you awake?" "Yes." "I can't sleep." "How come?" "My leg itches." "Will you come over and scratch it?" "My leg." "But I'm just bringing him a few filloas, see?" " But Rosa..." " I know he likes them." " Listen." " I made them myself." "Oh, child, listen." "I've told you already you don't have to cook for him, or wash him or shave him or do anything." "I take care of Ramon myself." "Do you understand me?" "Fine." "Have him say it to me, then." "No, he's already told me." "Besides, he's quite busy right now, you know?" "What?" "Is he with her?" "I wish I were a lawyer, too, but of course..." " Rosa, don't cry." "Don't cry." " Ramon, if you don't want me ...to come see you, then..." " Of course I want to see you, dear." " It seems you don't want to." " Are you sure that's really it?" "Rosa, Rosa..." "She hung up." "Could you dial the number for me again, please?" "And could you leave me alone for a minute?" "What is going on between you and that girl, Ramon?" "W-why?" "Oh, Julia..." "Why should I give you any explanations?" "I don't know why you answer me like that because then I don't know what I'm doing here." "Unless, of course, you think there's nothing going on here." "That yesterday's kiss meant nothing." "Look at you." "Look at you, sitting there." "Look at you." "And look at me." "Where are we going, Julia?" "Look at us." "It's not over." "What do you think?" "That I don't think about what happened to me?" "Well, I do think about it." "Very often." "Every day, it seems like a nightmare." "And I know that things can only get worse, until I become a vegetable." "So I've come to a conclusion, and it's that I'd rather..." "I'm gonna do it, Ramon." "I'm gonna end my life." "But... but before that, if you want, my love..." "I'd like to help you." "We could leave together..." "You have nothing to say, huh?" "Surely you weren't expecting this." "When?" "Well, I don't know, you... we're almost done with the book, and..." "I'm gonna go to Barcelona, to..." "to find a publisher and... and... and we have it published." "And then I return." "With the very first copy." "That very day, Ramon." "That very day." "Listen to me, listen." "Worst case scenario, you'll put the public in your favor." "Look, if we get a negative decision, the controversy will be bigger..." "Oh, please, don't be such a lunkhead, okay?" "It's just that..." "I just don't understand why." " Hey, are you all right?" " Yeah." " Yeah?" " Yes." "You've got news?" "What news?" "Marc, Marco." "Please, do me a favor and look ahead, okay?" "I'm fine, I'm fine." "What happened, Ramon?" "Come on, we're almost there." "I understand." "I get it, Ramon." "But still." "Still." "Listen to me, listen." "If nobody takes this step, okay?" "If everybody hides their head and acts stealthily, and doesn't at least attempt to show up the state, the justices or other people..." "I'm sorry, here." " Call again." "Keep at it." " Yes." "I said yes." "No, no, no, no, no, no." "Call Manuela." " You'll have to move this car." " Yes." " I said yes." " I'm fine, I'm fine." "I'm in hysterics, but I'm fine." "So what do we do now, Manuela?" "I'm talking about the trip to Corunna." "I show up there and waste my time, knowing that they won't pay any attention to me." "I think that today, that it's still a waste of time." "But tomorrow, whatever you do, will end up helping someone." "Well, then let's go look at those justices in the face." "Javi, where's the chair?" "The wheelchair?" "How would I know?" "Probably stuck away somewhere." "Well, then find it and clean it up." "Then come here with your grandpa and I'll explain things to you." "We're gonna fix it up, okay?" " Come on, man." " Are you going to make it motorized?" "You have to cut through here and here." " So the back can move, right?" " That's right." "Now, you see those tubes down there?" "You have to cut them." "And then fasten them with some nuts, so they move in a hinge." " Do you understand?" " I do, go on." "What about you, Dad?" "You'll have to be partly lying down, son." "You may fall asleep in court." "I'll only sleep if they don't say anything interesting, Dad." "DIE TO LIVE" "LETTERS FROM HELL" "And on top of that, a pillow, to rest the head." "I don't want to fall over backwards and break my neck." "Huh, Javi?" "Break my neck?" "I'll break my neck." "Grandpa." "Look, if that's what you call help, better not help at all." "Is that too tight?" "You're asking me?" "Hey!" "One second, please, Ramon." "God, Manuela." "If I'm gonna look even more ridiculous..." "Better this than to catch a cold." "And don't anybody take it off." "You're Ramon Sampedro, right?" "I was hoping I'd get to drive you, man." "DECRIMINALIZE EUTHANASIA NOW" "Oh, wow, check this out." "Who have we killed?" "Ramon, do you feel lonely, taking into account that, until now, you're the only Spaniard who has requested active euthanasia?" "Well, yes..." "I'm the first one to request it publicly, aren't I?" "But this has been taking place out of sight for many years." "What do you expect from the justices?" "What will you tell them?" "Well, I just want to tell them that I am... of sound mind and judgment." "Quiet." "Quiet, please." "In a self-proclaimed secular state, one that acknowledges the right to private property, and whose constitution also covers the right to not endure torture or degrading treatment, it's only reasonable that someone who deems his condition as degrading," "like Ramon Sampedro, could take his own life." "Actually, nobody who attempts suicide and survives is tried later on." "But... when you need someone else's help to die with dignity, then the state interferes with the independence of those people and tells them that the life they live is not theirs to take." "Your Honor, this could only be done based on metaphysical beliefs." "In other words, religious beliefs." "I say it again, in a state... who claims to be a secular state." "Judges, I only ask for a judicial reply, but above all else, a rational and humane response." "And now, if the court would allow it," "Ramon Sampedro, who's sitting in the audience, would like to read a short brief." "Overruled." "Judges, my client wishes to address you directly so you can hear in his own voice..." "Counselor, you know the procedure as well as we do." "Of course I do, I know it perfectly well." "But I apologize, your Honor, I didn't think it was so irrelevant or out of place to devote three minutes of your time, just three minutes... to hear out a man who's been waiting for 28 years." "If you wish to change the proceedings, change the laws." "Right, yes, of course, I know that." "Very well, this case is ready for sentencing." "Have a good day." "Well..." "I knew you would laugh it off." "That's what all men do, they laugh me off." " You wouldn't do any less." " Rosa, forgive me." "It's just that lately I've been going through a lot, you know?" "And..." "Well, I'm a bit overwhelmed." "Why?" "Can't someone fall in love with a quadriplegic, or what?" "Is that so weird?" "Well, maybe we should make a few things clear, shouldn't we?" "Especially if we're talking about something as complex as love." " Complex?" " Yes, complex, Rosa." "Even though you may say now that you, that you love me," "I will never be able to be sure of how real your love is, and... or how much of the idealization of a man that you wished you could find but couldn't, or that didn't last." "What the hell are you saying, Ramon?" "Don't try to trick me." "You either love or you don't." "Love can't be reasoned out." "Okay, okay, be that as it may." "Let's see, what do you want me to do?" "Shall I move in with you?" "I'm content with knowing I can come see you every now and then." "Of course you can, dear." "Of course you can." "Yes, but for how long?" "Oh, Rosa, no." "Rosa, you're not about to ask me to go on living for you, are you?" "What if I told you that... that you give me the strength to live, Ramon?" "Okay, okay, hold on." "Hold on right now." "Hold on a second." "Sit there." "Let's see." "Do you love your children?" "Sure, how could I not?" "Well, there's your strength to live, then." "Don't, don't, don't, don't burden me with that responsibility, okay, Rosa?" "That's what you call love?" "Holding me here against my will?" "Look, the person who actually loves me will be precisely... the one who helps me die." "That's loving me, Rosa." "That's loving me." "Dear Julia," "I was advised of the sentence of the provincial hearing yesterday." "Though the judges understand my wish to die, they remind me that helping me would be a penalized crime." "In another time, this would have affected me greatly, sending me straight into that dead end of neverending days and nights." "But now, since everything's speeding up, and the book will be published any day now, you will come back, Julia, my Juliet, and it'll be the sweetest death I could have ever imagined." "It will be a love pure and shared, and it'll be the return to balance... to perfect balance, at last." "A kiss, my beloved." "All right, later." "Should I open it for you?" "It's the book." "Look, it's the book, you're on the cover." "It smells so nice." "It's for you." "I'm gonna go show it to Mum." "Why?" "Why?" " Why?" "Why?" " Easy, easy." "Why can't the others change, Manuela?" " Why can't I make do with this life?" " I'm gonna give you a sedative." "Why?" "Why do I want to die?" "Why do I want to die?" "Why?" "Why?" "Why do I want to die?" "Why?" "Here." "Drink up, drink." "Give me two more, Manuela." "Manuela, for God's sake, two more pills won't kill me." "Give me two more." " Why?" " You'll be fine soon." " How are you feeling?" " Fine." "What time is it?" "11:00." "I didn't want to wake you up today." "The Boiro girl called three times already." "What did she want?" "She said she has to talk to you about something important." "It's always something important with her." "Well, dial her for me." "Are you going to call her?" "Better wait for her to call back." "Come on, she can barely afford her phone." "Please dial her number for me." "But of course, Ramon." "You have a heart of gold." " Ramon?" " What's up, Rosa?" "I have to see you." "I want to talk to you." "Since you told me to call you first before stopping by..." "Right, but is there something wrong?" "Can I come now?" "Look, Ramon, you told me you had a plan or something like that, that you were going to find a way to do what you want to do if the justices didn't agree with you." "Yes, Rosa, but I've already apologized to you for that, haven't I?" "I told you to forget about it." "Yes, but it's just that I can't." "I can't." "I can't, you know?" "Because last month, for example, they said no at the hearing." "So you're still thinking about doing it." "And that's what has you so worried?" "That I get my way?" " So you're gonna do it?" " It's not so easy, Rosa." "But take it easy, you'll be the last one to know." "Ramon, it's just that..." "I understand, you see?" "I understand what you said to me in Corunna." ""The person who truly loves me will be the one that helps me."" "I'm quite certain of my feelings, Ramon." "I love you." "Do you want me to help you?" " Rosa." " I'm serious, Ramon." "Do you want me to help you?" "Damn it." "I knew it." "Get out of there." "But what are you going to tell him?" "Jose, wait." "Didn't you hear?" "I can't allow it to happen." "And what will you do about it?" "What are you going to do?" "Are you going to tie me to this bed more than I already am?" "Or will you dope me up, like they used to at the hospital?" "Nobody will prevent me from leaving here, okay?" " Is that so?" "That so?" " And least of all you." "We'll see about that." "Or does my opinion count for nothing in this house?" "I'm your older brother." "I'm the head of the family." "So what?" "Do you think that means anything to me?" "Huh?" "At my age?" "To me, what's important is what people have in their head, man." "And yours is full of sawdust." "But I won't go on being..." "a slave to your ignorance, you see?" " Or to your conscience of altar boy." " And what about me?" "Am I not a slave as well?" "What do you think I felt when I had to stop going out to sea to come to live here, in this shitty orchard?" "Huh?" "To be with you." "To only be with you." "Me, my wife and my son." "Your slaves, all of us." "Hello." "Hello." " Your uncle is going to Boiro." " To Boiro?" "For what?" "To spend some time there, he says." "He's leaving with that woman..." "Rosa." "Oh, boy." "They getting married?" "Getting married?" " What do mean you're leaving?" " Yup." "For how long?" "I want to give you my book." "You see it over there?" " It won't be published anymore?" " Of course it will." " But that's the first copy." " Oh." "Look, open to the bookmark." " "To My Son"?" " Yes." "Go ahead, read it." ""To My Son." "Forgive me, son, for not being born." "It wasn't my fault you were left behind." "It was the... it was the roses that were afraid." "Forgive me for not being able to play with you." "I don't know if you will have been born once I've passed on." "Always remember I still love you." "Kiss your mother for me, and don't hold a grudge against me." " Hatred is never good."" " Very good." " Do you get it?" " Yeah." "Let's see." "Well, it's about a son you never had, uh... so it's like you're talking to him." "And you apologize for not having had him." "Very good, but what did I add at the bottom there?" ""To Javier."" " So?" " So what?" "You don't see what I'm trying to say?" "But I'm not your son." "Of course you are not." "But if I'm dedicating that poem to you, it must mean something, right?" "But I'm not your son." "I don't know what... what they teach you in school these days, eh?" "Come on, go on, man." "Go on." "Everyone is so weird today..." "Ramon, how are you?" "Yeah, hang on, I can't hear you." " Tell me, handsome." " Nothing, you know." "I'm leaving tomorrow." "Yes, Rosa told me this afternoon." " You're probably impatient." " Just a tad." "Hey, Ramon, about this... they were telling me about that thing you know." " What thing?" " Well, you know, the..." " The powder?" " The powder, yes." "You have to calculate an exact dose of 200 milligrams." " Gene..." " However, it is likely that it will be a bit painful." "It's better you know." "Gene, Gene." "Okay, let's see..." "I think it's best if you wash your hands clean of this." "I'm very worried they might get you involved some day." "Actually, that's why I'm calling." "I want us to say goodbye and... and to not talk ever again." "It's for your own safety." "Don't even discuss it with Marc." "Yes, of course." "I understand, I understand." "So this is... this is..." " goodbye." " It is." "It's better this way." "Okay, sure." "Sure, sure." "But, but just let me..." "let me tell you something." "Ramon, think this over as many times as you need to." "Don't feel pressured." "I mean, if you're going to do it, don't do it in order to... in order to set an example, or to not disappoint the public, or us, or the association." "Nobody is forcing you to do it if you don't want to, you understand?" " Do you understand me, Ramon?" " You too, Gene, my child." "Forgive me, Ramon." "Goodbye, Gene." "Have a nice trip, friend." "Goodbye, Manuela." "And you, behave yourself, all right, Javi?" "I got your poem, finally." "Come here a second." "Give me a hug." "Do me a favor." "Take care of your grandpa, okay?" "Take care of your grandpa." "Okay, Ramon." "Here we go." "Could you close the door now, kid?" "Let's go." "Close it." "So what did you lose in Boiro, chief?" "I'm going to the beach, to get some fresh air." "Fresh air?" "That's great, man." "This is the best I could find with the money you gave me." "And I told them about the view." "Do you like it?" "Where do I sign?" " For what?" " To marry you." "He's out." "Look at him." "Since I don't move..." "Ramon, if it's true that there's an afterlife..." "I know you'll think it's silly, huh?" "But please, send me a sign." " A sign?" " Whatever." "I was never afraid of spirits." "I will be very, very watchful, just waiting for it." " Will you do it?" " Of course." "But you know what..." "you see, between you and I, I think that after we're dead, there isn't anything." "It's just the same as it is before we're born, there's nothing." "How can you be so sure, Ramon?" " Nobody knows." " I'm not sure." "I just think there is nothing." "It's just... it's just a hunch." "It's like when my Dad looks at the sky and goes, "Tomorrow it's gonna rain."" "And it rains." "It's just a feeling." "But don't you forget one thing:" "I'm going to be in your dreams." "I'm going to come..." "to your bed, at night, and we're going to make love." "And in case I fail to tell you in your dreams, I'm gonna say it now:" "Thank you, Rosa." "From the bottom of my heart." "Thank you." "Honorable Justices, political and religious organizations, what does dignity mean to you?" "Whatever the answer your conscience gives you," "I want you to know that, to me, this is not living with dignity." "I would have liked to, at least, die with dignity." "Today, worn out by institutional negligence," "I'm forced to do it in hiding, like a criminal." "You should know that the process that will lead to my death was scrupulously divided into a series of little actions that do not constitute a crime in themselves, and that were carried out by different friendly hands." "If the state still insists on punishing my coconspirators," "I would advise you to have their hands chopped off, because that's the only thing they contributed to this." "The mastermind, that is to say, the conscience, was all me." "As you can see, there's a glass of water by my side with a dose of potassium cyanide." "Once I drink it, I will cease to exist, thus renouncing my most precious possession, my body." "I believe that living is a right, not an obligation, as it has been in my case, by forcing me to endure this miserable situation for 28 years, four months and..." "and a few days." "After all this time, I look back on the road I've traveled and the numbers don't add up to happiness." "Only the time that has passed against my will during almost all my life will be my ally from now on." "Only time and the evolution of consciousness will one day decide whether my request was reasonable, or, or not." "Well, then." "Hot." "Marc's not coming?" "He's on the beach with the baby." "He loves the sea." " They're not going in, are they?" " No, it's too cold." " How you doing, beautiful?" " Fine." " Hey, will she understand me?" " Yes." "Well, I mean can... can she follow a conversation and all that?" "Yes, yes, yes." "Well, at times it's a bit difficult for her, but..." " Okay, I'm gonna go see her." " Okay." " See you in a bit." " See you in a bit." "Hi, Julia." "Hello, how are you?" " Very well." "And you?" " Well... fine." "You have some house." "It's beautiful." "Oh." "Well, as you know, Ramon left me a lot of letters." "I think he found it amusing to leave written things about to be found after his death." "The thing is, the other day I found this letter for you." "Ramon who?" "Ramon." "Ramon Sampedro." "Your friend, Ramon." "I introduced you guys." "Remember?" "You did?" "Yes." "It's nice out here." "Out to sea." "Out to sea." "And in the weightlessness of the deep, where dreams are fulfilled," "Two wills come together to fulfill a wish," "Your gaze and my gaze like an echo repeating wordlessly," "Farther out, farther out," "Beyond the other side of everything, through blood and bones." "But I always wake up and I always want to be dead," "Your hair forever caressing my lips." "Well, son, I'm leaving." "See you tomorrow, Dad." "I'll get it." "Good evening, Manuela." "I'm here to see Ramon." "Don't you see what time it is, dear?" "I know that, but I couldn't make it earlier." "I'll explain it to Ramon." "Look, I don't think he feels like seeing anybody." "You see, he didn't have a good day today." "Why don't you come tomorrow or the day after that?" "It's important." "The cannery is shutting down." "They say things aren't going well, that there's no money to pay us, so out, on our asses." "Fuck, they have no right." "No right at all." "Rosa." "Sorry, Ramon." "What are you sorry for, girl?" "Cry all you want." "I wish I could get up and hug you." "Just when I'd started to save some money..." "I wanted to buy you a telescope for the Epiphany." "Rosa, you don't have to buy me anything, okay?" "I'll get mad if you spend even a dime on me." "But I wanted to." "I wanted to... give you something." "But why do you have to give me anything?" "Because you've given me a lot, Ramon." "You have no idea how much." "I... no man has ever treated me as well as you have." "You were that ill-treated, child?" "I don't complicate my life anymore." "Now I know that I must be the problem, right?" "Men don't like me or whatever." "What are you saying, Rosa?" "How can men not like you?" "Wasn't that what you called me the first time I came?" ""A frustrated woman," you said." "Yeah... well, if I called you that, now I call you strong woman, and brave woman and good, and beautiful woman, and I'll call whoever doesn't see it an asshole, God damn it." "Rosa, please." "God, please, stop that." "You make me feel like a priest and they piss me off enough already." "Sit there." "Come on, sit, sit." "And leave the hand alone, child." "You know I don't feel it." "My son says you're pretending, that you're faking it." "But you do have feeling in your face, don't you?" "Oh, if only I could help you..." "I'd do anything to..." "You would help me?" "Yes." "Don't get scared, silly." "I've had it figured out for years so that... nobody ends up in jail, okay?" "I already have several friends who are willing to help me." "We're only missing a person," " a brave person, like you." " No." "No." "Help you heal... not to die." "Come on, guys." "Let's go." " You got it?" " Right, yes." "Careful, careful." "Come on, get here with me." " No, it doesn't fit over here." " 'Course it does." "It does not." "It doesn't fit over here." "Thanks." "Ramon says he understands the situation but he's not coming down." "Right." "I see... well, it doesn't matter." "Brother Andres." "Come here." "Okay, you go upstairs, please, and tell Ramon this, tell him and since we are inside eternity, life is not ours." "Then, of course, we take our bourgeois sense of, of private property to a ridiculous extreme." "But... oh, you've got to be kidding me... but the Church was always the first to secularize private property, man." " But, but I can't tell him that." " What do you mean you can't?" "Should I?" "...my life and choosing my beliefs." "...freedom to choose my beliefs..." "no, his beliefs and to make decisions about his own life." "Well, then you tell him that it would be a process as far as continuing life goes." "Why does the Church cling so passionately to the position of fearing death?" "Because they know they lose a great deal of customers if people are no longer afraid of the other side." "...and he'd like to remind you that, according to the polls, 67% of Spaniards would favor euthanasia." "Very well, very well, very well, then you tell him that moral questions are not solved through polls." "Because most of the German people..." "Because most of the German people" " also favored Hitler." " Now he... he compares me to Hitler!" " That's just total bullshit." " It's just total bullshit." "No, not that, no." "Not that." "Ask him what Hitler has to do with the price of eggs." " Eggs?" " No, no, wait." "Father Francisco, can you hear me?" "Yes, I hear you, Ramon, I hear you." "Then why are you comparing apples and oranges?" "I hope you didn't come here to be preach demagoguery, because you Jesuits, know quite a lot about that." "No, no, no, no, of course not." "But since you mentioned demagogy, Ramon, my friend, don't you find the expression "death with dignity"" "to be quite demagogical?" "Why don't you stop with the euphemisms and tell it like it is, as blunt as it may sound, "I'm gonna end my life," and be done with it?" "I'm surprised that you show such sensitivity towards my life, if you bear in mind that the institution you represent accepts nothing less than the death penalty nowadays, and for centuries condemned those who didn't think correctly" "to be burnt alive?" "Now you're the one preaching demagoguery." "Yes, of course, but all euphemisms aside, as you say, that's what they would have done to me, isn't it?" "Isn't it?" "Burn me alive." "Burn me for defending my freedom." "Ramon, my friend..." " He calls me "friend."" " Ramon, my friend, a freedom that ends life is no freedom at all." "And a life that ends freedom isn't a life either." "And don't call me "friend." And leave me alone." "Okay, let's go." "Well, you... since you seem to be good folks, give this man the will to live." "Show him that life... that life is not only moving your arms or running around or kicking a ball around or..." "what the hell?" "Life is actually something else." "Life is a lot more than that." "That's coming from me, okay?" "And what do you want us to do?" "Do you want us to gag him so he doesn't talk?" "Or to give him a rattle, like you do with little kids?" "Look, when you were on TV you said something that I haven't been able to get out of my mind." "Manuela, leave it alone." "You said that Ramon's family didn't give him enough affection." "Well, just so you know, we never stopped loving my brother-in-law in this house for one day, not a single day." "I've been caring for him for such a long time and I love him like a son." "I don't know which one of you is right." "And I don't know if it's true what you say about God, and how life belongs to Him, that it's not ours." "But I do know one thing, okay?" "You have a very big mouth." "Oh, Rosa, I told you there was no need, that I already shaved Ramon yesterday." "Right, but I know of a way to make it look better." "Where do you keep the soap?" "Oh, they're here." "I don't feel a thing." " You sure there's a kid in there?" " He's seven months old, handsome." "Well, he isn't moving." " You're the one that doesn't move." " Oh, now, now." " Now he's moving." " You see?" " He's happy to see you." " So what are you going to call him?" "Well, we haven't decided yet." "Okay, call him Ramon, so that one day, when he asks you why you named him that, you can tell him my story." " Right." " You can tell him yourself." "Right?" "No." "There's someone else who will also be very happy to see you." "Careful, Javier, careful." "No, not like that." " You gotta turn it around." " Grandpa, hush." "What?" "Why didn't you tell me?" " Because it was a surprise." " Of course." "Well, this is really..." "this is some present for the Epiphany." "I'm gonna open the windows a bit, it's sweltering in here." "We better leave you guys alone for a bit." " Come on." " Right?" " Shall we?" " Let's go." "What's up, sailor?" "Don't do that, they'll get the wrong idea." "Gene, leave him alone..." " You want coffee, Marc?" " Yes, please." " How are you, Rosa?" " Fine." "Ramon told me you've got another job." "Yes, I take care of some senior citizens." "So is this woman staying long?" "A couple of weeks, I think." "It depends on how long it takes to work on the book." "Well, then I guess I won't be able to shave him today." " All right, see you later." " Bye." "Bye, Rosa." "Okay, the judges have their hands tied by the law." "So what we're going to try is to get a sentence recommending that the government" " amend the penal law." " The government?" "The government's duty is to serve us, Javi." "Your uncle is far more important." "The court of first instance will not dare to side with us." "We already know that." "But where we can't fail is in the provincial hearing." "Javier." "Help me with the cows." "Come on." "Look... we have to convince the judges that Ramon is a serene and perfectly lucid person." "It would help us immensely if he testified in person." "Manuela... we have to get Ramon out of the house." "Care to tell me what you were doing in there, huh?" "Do you know what they're doing and what they want?" "So what should I do?" "Lock myself up in my room?" "Don't you realize what they want, Javier?" "Let's see... what's gonna happen if they win the case?" "Huh?" "Your uncle gets an injection and he dies, like a dog." "And you'll never see him again." "You'll never see him again, Javier." "Or did you think that death was temporary?" "Huh?" "Use your head, because death is very serious, you hear me?" "Your uncle will die and you'll never see him again." "Leave me alone." "Javier." "It's not that he doesn't feel like it, he just doesn't want the chair." "He doesn't want it." "Getting him out of the house once, maybe twice a year, is a complete battle." "Well, this has to be one of those times, Manuela." "It's very important for Ramon to make this trip." "And when would that be?" "I think the hearing would take place in spring, so there's time for him to get used to the idea." "There's only one thing worse than having a child die on you... for him to want to die." "Goodbye." "Okay, let's get to work." "...eternally, my seductive lover, beloved sea." "Can you really smell the sea from in here?" "Yes, sometimes, in the morning, if there's a breeze... and the window is open, I can." "I smell it... as if I were right there, you know?" "You sure do have a strong sense of smell." "Yes, the smell is probably what... what gives me the most intense feelings, see?" "The most fantasies." "Your smell, for instance." "My smell?" "Yes." "It's the first thing I get when... when I daydream about you." "Wow." "And what do you daydream about?" "Oh, many things." "They all have one thing in common:" "In all of them, I can move." "So..." "I get up and..." "I travel to where I imagine you might be at the moment." "And if I, say, imagine you're here, for instance, well..." "I just walk up to you and... and I do what I've wished so many times I could do to you." "Then... your smell becomes stronger, and I get dizzy." "And I can almost feel your heart beating fast." "Then, I feel your hands, and I completely lose my mind." "I completely lose my mind." "Is the water okay?" "Julia." "Julia, are you awake?" "Yes." "I can't sleep." "How come?" "My leg itches." "Will you come over and scratch it?" "My leg." "But I'm just bringing him a few filloas, see?" " But Rosa..." " I know he likes them." " Listen." " I made them myself." "Oh, child, listen." "I've told you already you don't have to cook for him, or wash him or shave him or do anything." "I take care of Ramon myself." "Do you understand me?" "Fine." "Have him say it to me, then." "No, he's already told me." "Besides, he's quite busy right now, you know?" "What?" "Is he with her?" "I wish I were a lawyer, too, but of course..." " Rosa, don't cry." "Don't cry." " Ramon, if you don't want me ...to come see you, then..." " Of course I want to see you, dear." " It seems you don't want to." " Are you sure that's really it?" "Rosa, Rosa..." "She hung up." "Could you dial the number for me again, please?" "And could you leave me alone for a minute?" "What is going on between you and that girl, Ramon?" "W-why?" "Oh, Julia..." "Why should I give you any explanations?" "I don't know why you answer me like that because then I don't know what I'm doing here." "Unless, of course, you think there's nothing going on here." "That yesterday's kiss meant nothing." "Look at you." "Look at you, sitting there." "Look at you." "And look at me." "Where are we going, Julia?" "Look at us." "It's not over." "What do you think?" "That I don't think about what happened to me?" "Well, I do think about it." "Very often." "Every day, it seems like a nightmare." "And I know that things can only get worse, until I become a vegetable." "So I've come to a conclusion, and it's that I'd rather..." "I'm gonna do it, Ramon." "I'm gonna end my life." "But... but before that, if you want, my love..." "I'd like to help you." "We could leave together..." "You have nothing to say, huh?" "Surely you weren't expecting this." "When?" "Well, I don't know, you... we're almost done with the book, and..." "I'm gonna go to Barcelona, to..." "to find a publisher and... and... and we have it published." "And then I return." "With the very first copy." "That very day, Ramon." "That very day." "Listen to me, listen." "Worst case scenario, you'll put the public in your favor." "Look, if we get a negative decision, the controversy will be bigger..." "Oh, please, don't be such a lunkhead, okay?" "It's just that..." "I just don't understand why." " Hey, are you all right?" " Yeah." " Yeah?" " Yes." "You've got news?" "What news?" "Marc, Marco." "Please, do me a favor and look ahead, okay?" "I'm fine, I'm fine." "What happened, Ramon?" "Come on, we're almost there." "I understand." "I get it, Ramon." "But still." "Still." "Listen to me, listen." "If nobody takes this step, okay?" "If everybody hides their head and acts stealthily, and doesn't at least attempt to show up the state, the justices or other people..." "I'm sorry, here." " Call again." "Keep at it." " Yes." "I said yes." "No, no, no, no, no, no." "Call Manuela." " You'll have to move this car." " Yes." " I said yes." " I'm fine, I'm fine." "I'm in hysterics, but I'm fine." "So what do we do now, Manuela?" "I'm talking about the trip to Corunna." "I show up there and waste my time, knowing that they won't pay any attention to me." "I think that today, that it's still a waste of time." "But tomorrow, whatever you do, will end up helping someone." "Well, then let's go look at those justices in the face." "Javi, where's the chair?" "The wheelchair?" "How would I know?" "Probably stuck away somewhere." "Well, then find it and clean it up." "Then come here with your grandpa and I'll explain things to you." "We're gonna fix it up, okay?" " Come on, man." " Are you going to make it motorized?" "You have to cut through here and here." " So the back can move, right?" " That's right." "Now, you see those tubes down there?" "You have to cut them." "And then fasten them with some nuts, so they move in a hinge." " Do you understand?" " I do, go on." "What about you, Dad?" "You'll have to be partly lying down, son." "You may fall asleep in court." "I'll only sleep if they don't say anything interesting, Dad." "DIE TO LIVE" "LETTERS FROM HELL" "And on top of that, a pillow, to rest the head." "I don't want to fall over backwards and break my neck." "Huh, Javi?" "Break my neck?" "I'll break my neck." "Grandpa." "Look, if that's what you call help, better not help at all." "Is that too tight?" "You're asking me?" "Hey!" "One second, please, Ramon." "God, Manuela." "If I'm gonna look even more ridiculous..." "Better this than to catch a cold." "And don't anybody take it off." "You're Ramon Sampedro, right?" "I was hoping I'd get to drive you, man." "DECRIMINALIZE EUTHANASIA NOW" "Oh, wow, check this out." "Who have we killed?" "Ramon, do you feel lonely, taking into account that, until now, you're the only Spaniard who has requested active euthanasia?" "Well, yes..." "I'm the first one to request it publicly, aren't I?" "But this has been taking place out of sight for many years." "What do you expect from the justices?" "What will you tell them?" "Well, I just want to tell them that I am... of sound mind and judgment." "Quiet." "Quiet, please." "In a self-proclaimed secular state, one that acknowledges the right to private property, and whose constitution also covers the right to not endure torture or degrading treatment, it's only reasonable that someone who deems his condition as degrading," "like Ramon Sampedro, could take his own life." "Actually, nobody who attempts suicide and survives is tried later on." "But... when you need someone else's help to die with dignity, then the state interferes with the independence of those people and tells them that the life they live is not theirs to take." "Your Honor, this could only be done based on metaphysical beliefs." "In other words, religious beliefs." "I say it again, in a state... who claims to be a secular state." "Judges, I only ask for a judicial reply, but above all else, a rational and humane response." "And now, if the court would allow it," "Ramon Sampedro, who's sitting in the audience, would like to read a short brief." "Overruled." "Judges, my client wishes to address you directly so you can hear in his own voice..." "Counselor, you know the procedure as well as we do." "Of course I do, I know it perfectly well." "But I apologize, your Honor, I didn't think it was so irrelevant or out of place to devote three minutes of your time, just three minutes... to hear out a man who's been waiting for 28 years." "If you wish to change the proceedings, change the laws." "Right, yes, of course, I know that." "Very well, this case is ready for sentencing." "Have a good day." "Well..." "I knew you would laugh it off." "That's what all men do, they laugh me off." " You wouldn't do any less." " Rosa, forgive me." "It's just that lately I've been going through a lot, you know?" "And..." "Well, I'm a bit overwhelmed." "Why?" "Can't someone fall in love with a quadriplegic, or what?" "Is that so weird?" "Well, maybe we should make a few things clear, shouldn't we?" "Especially if we're talking about something as complex as love." " Complex?" " Yes, complex, Rosa." "Even though you may say now that you, that you love me," "I will never be able to be sure of how real your love is, and... or how much of the idealization of a man that you wished you could find but couldn't, or that didn't last." "What the hell are you saying, Ramon?" "Don't try to trick me." "You either love or you don't." "Love can't be reasoned out." "Okay, okay, be that as it may." "Let's see, what do you want me to do?" "Shall I move in with you?" "I'm content with knowing I can come see you every now and then." "Of course you can, dear." "Of course you can." "Yes, but for how long?" "Oh, Rosa, no." "Rosa, you're not about to ask me to go on living for you, are you?" "What if I told you that... that you give me the strength to live, Ramon?" "Okay, okay, hold on." "Hold on right now." "Hold on a second." "Sit there." "Let's see." "Do you love your children?" "Sure, how could I not?" "Well, there's your strength to live, then." "Don't, don't, don't, don't burden me with that responsibility, okay, Rosa?" "That's what you call love?" "Holding me here against my will?" "Look, the person who actually loves me will be precisely... the one who helps me die." "That's loving me, Rosa." "That's loving me." "Dear Julia," "I was advised of the sentence of the provincial hearing yesterday." "Though the judges understand my wish to die, they remind me that helping me would be a penalized crime." "In another time, this would have affected me greatly, sending me straight into that dead end of neverending days and nights." "But now, since everything's speeding up, and the book will be published any day now, you will come back, Julia, my Juliet, and it'll be the sweetest death I could have ever imagined." "It will be a love pure and shared, and it'll be the return to balance... to perfect balance, at last." "A kiss, my beloved." "All right, later." "Should I open it for you?" "It's the book." "Look, it's the book, you're on the cover." "It smells so nice." "It's for you." "I'm gonna go show it to Mum." "Why?" "Why?" " Why?" "Why?" " Easy, easy." "Why can't the others change, Manuela?" " Why can't I make do with this life?" " I'm gonna give you a sedative." "Why?" "Why do I want to die?" "Why do I want to die?" "Why?" "Why?" "Why do I want to die?" "Why?" "Here." "Drink up, drink." "Give me two more, Manuela." "Manuela, for God's sake, two more pills won't kill me." "Give me two more." " Why?" " You'll be fine soon." " How are you feeling?" " Fine." "What time is it?" "11:00." "I didn't want to wake you up today." "The Boiro girl called three times already." "What did she want?" "She said she has to talk to you about something important." "It's always something important with her." "Well, dial her for me." "Are you going to call her?" "Better wait for her to call back." "Come on, she can barely afford her phone." "Please dial her number for me." "But of course, Ramon." "You have a heart of gold." " Ramon?" " What's up, Rosa?" "I have to see you." "I want to talk to you." "Since you told me to call you first before stopping by..." "Right, but is there something wrong?" "Can I come now?" "Look, Ramon, you told me you had a plan or something like that, that you were going to find a way to do what you want to do if the justices didn't agree with you." "Yes, Rosa, but I've already apologized to you for that, haven't I?" "I told you to forget about it." "Yes, but it's just that I can't." "I can't." "I can't, you know?" "Because last month, for example, they said no at the hearing." "So you're still thinking about doing it." "And that's what has you so worried?" "That I get my way?" " So you're gonna do it?" " It's not so easy, Rosa." "But take it easy, you'll be the last one to know." "Ramon, it's just that..." "I understand, you see?" "I understand what you said to me in Corunna." ""The person who truly loves me will be the one that helps me."" "I'm quite certain of my feelings, Ramon." "I love you." "Do you want me to help you?" " Rosa." " I'm serious, Ramon." "Do you want me to help you?" "Damn it." "I knew it." "Get out of there." "But what are you going to tell him?" "Jose, wait." "Didn't you hear?" "I can't allow it to happen." "And what will you do about it?" "What are you going to do?" "Are you going to tie me to this bed more than I already am?" "Or will you dope me up, like they used to at the hospital?" "Nobody will prevent me from leaving here, okay?" " Is that so?" "That so?" " And least of all you." "We'll see about that." "Or does my opinion count for nothing in this house?" "I'm your older brother." "I'm the head of the family." "So what?" "Do you think that means anything to me?" "Huh?" "At my age?" "To me, what's important is what people have in their head, man." "And yours is full of sawdust." "But I won't go on being..." "a slave to your ignorance, you see?" " Or to your conscience of altar boy." " And what about me?" "Am I not a slave as well?" "What do you think I felt when I had to stop going out to sea to come to live here, in this shitty orchard?" "Huh?" "To be with you." "To only be with you." "Me, my wife and my son." "Your slaves, all of us." "Hello." "Hello." " Your uncle is going to Boiro." " To Boiro?" "For what?" "To spend some time there, he says." "He's leaving with that woman..." "Rosa." "Oh, boy." "They getting married?" "Getting married?" " What do mean you're leaving?" " Yup." "For how long?" "I want to give you my book." "You see it over there?" " It won't be published anymore?" " Of course it will." " But that's the first copy." " Oh." "Look, open to the bookmark." " "To My Son"?" " Yes." "Go ahead, read it." ""To My Son." "Forgive me, son, for not being born." "It wasn't my fault you were left behind." "It was the... it was the roses that were afraid." "Forgive me for not being able to play with you." "I don't know if you will have been born once I've passed on." "Always remember I still love you." "Kiss your mother for me, and don't hold a grudge against me." " Hatred is never good."" " Very good." " Do you get it?" " Yeah." "Let's see." "Well, it's about a son you never had, uh... so it's like you're talking to him." "And you apologize for not having had him." "Very good, but what did I add at the bottom there?" ""To Javier."" " So?" " So what?" "You don't see what I'm trying to say?" "But I'm not your son." "Of course you are not." "But if I'm dedicating that poem to you, it must mean something, right?" "But I'm not your son." "I don't know what... what they teach you in school these days, eh?" "Come on, go on, man." "Go on." "Everyone is so weird today..." "Ramon, how are you?" "Yeah, hang on, I can't hear you." " Tell me, handsome." " Nothing, you know." "I'm leaving tomorrow." "Yes, Rosa told me this afternoon." " You're probably impatient." " Just a tad." "Hey, Ramon, about this... they were telling me about that thing you know." " What thing?" " Well, you know, the..." " The powder?" " The powder, yes." "You have to calculate an exact dose of 200 milligrams." " Gene..." " However, it is likely that it will be a bit painful." "It's better you know." "Gene, Gene." "Okay, let's see..." "I think it's best if you wash your hands clean of this." "I'm very worried they might get you involved some day." "Actually, that's why I'm calling." "I want us to say goodbye and... and to not talk ever again." "It's for your own safety." "Don't even discuss it with Marc." "Yes, of course." "I understand, I understand." "So this is... this is..." " goodbye." " It is." "It's better this way." "Okay, sure." "Sure, sure." "But, but just let me..." "let me tell you something." "Ramon, think this over as many times as you need to." "Don't feel pressured." "I mean, if you're going to do it, don't do it in order to... in order to set an example, or to not disappoint the public, or us, or the association." "Nobody is forcing you to do it if you don't want to, you understand?" " Do you understand me, Ramon?" " You too, Gene, my child." "Forgive me, Ramon." "Goodbye, Gene." "Have a nice trip, friend." "Goodbye, Manuela." "And you, behave yourself, all right, Javi?" "I got your poem, finally." "Come here a second." "Give me a hug." "Do me a favor." "Take care of your grandpa, okay?" "Take care of your grandpa." "Okay, Ramon." "Here we go." "Could you close the door now, kid?" "Let's go." "Close it." "So what did you lose in Boiro, chief?" "I'm going to the beach, to get some fresh air." "Fresh air?" "That's great, man." "This is the best I could find with the money you gave me." "And I told them about the view." "Do you like it?" "Where do I sign?" " For what?" " To marry you." "He's out." "Look at him." "Since I don't move..." "Ramon, if it's true that there's an afterlife..." "I know you'll think it's silly, huh?" "But please, send me a sign." " A sign?" " Whatever." "I was never afraid of spirits." "I will be very, very watchful, just waiting for it." " Will you do it?" " Of course." "But you know what..." "you see, between you and I, I think that after we're dead, there isn't anything." "It's just the same as it is before we're born, there's nothing." "How can you be so sure, Ramon?" " Nobody knows." " I'm not sure." "I just think there is nothing." "It's just... it's just a hunch." "It's like when my Dad looks at the sky and goes, "Tomorrow it's gonna rain."" "And it rains." "It's just a feeling." "But don't you forget one thing:" "I'm going to be in your dreams." "I'm going to come..." "to your bed, at night, and we're going to make love." "And in case I fail to tell you in your dreams, I'm gonna say it now:" "Thank you, Rosa." "From the bottom of my heart." "Thank you." "Honorable Justices, political and religious organizations, what does dignity mean to you?" "Whatever the answer your conscience gives you," "I want you to know that, to me, this is not living with dignity." "I would have liked to, at least, die with dignity." "Today, worn out by institutional negligence," "I'm forced to do it in hiding, like a criminal." "You should know that the process that will lead to my death was scrupulously divided into a series of little actions that do not constitute a crime in themselves, and that were carried out by different friendly hands." "If the state still insists on punishing my coconspirators," "I would advise you to have their hands chopped off, because that's the only thing they contributed to this." "The mastermind, that is to say, the conscience, was all me." "As you can see, there's a glass of water by my side with a dose of potassium cyanide." "Once I drink it, I will cease to exist, thus renouncing my most precious possession, my body." "I believe that living is a right, not an obligation, as it has been in my case, by forcing me to endure this miserable situation for 28 years, four months and..." "and a few days." "After all this time, I look back on the road I've traveled and the numbers don't add up to happiness." "Only the time that has passed against my will during almost all my life will be my ally from now on." "Only time and the evolution of consciousness will one day decide whether my request was reasonable, or, or not." "Well, then." "Hot." "Marc's not coming?" "He's on the beach with the baby." "He loves the sea." " They're not going in, are they?" " No, it's too cold." " How you doing, beautiful?" " Fine." " Hey, will she understand me?" " Yes." "Well, I mean can... can she follow a conversation and all that?" "Yes, yes, yes." "Well, at times it's a bit difficult for her, but..." " Okay, I'm gonna go see her." " Okay." " See you in a bit." " See you in a bit." "Hi, Julia." "Hello, how are you?" " Very well." "And you?" " Well... fine." "You have some house." "It's beautiful." "Oh." "Well, as you know, Ramon left me a lot of letters." "I think he found it amusing to leave written things about to be found after his death." "The thing is, the other day I found this letter for you." "Ramon who?" "Ramon." "Ramon Sampedro." "Your friend, Ramon." "I introduced you guys." "Remember?" "You did?" "Yes." "It's nice out here." "Out to sea." "Out to sea." "And in the weightlessness of the deep, where dreams are fulfilled," "Two wills come together to fulfill a wish," "Your gaze and my gaze like an echo repeating wordlessly," "Farther out, farther out," "Beyond the other side of everything, through blood and bones." "But I always wake up and I always want to be dead," "Your hair forever caressing my lips."