THE SEA BEYOND

Ernesto’s mother wants her body to be cast into the sea once she passes away. Although it is illegal, when the day arrives Ernesto steals her coffin intending to honour her wishes. His daughter will accompany him and desperately try to change his mind. During the journey, she will discover that her father is far from crazy despite always going against everybody else’s opinion.

DIRECTOR’S NOTES

In his famous work Civil Disobedience, philosopher Henry David Thoreau wrote that a man who is right constitutes a majority. His eloquent discussion pointed out very clearly that an individual’s thoughts could be absolutely legitimate even against the majority’s opinion, and thus encouraged disobeying laws. Throughout history, we have seen some people who have challenged established views to defend their ideas. These individuals, whether in the political, scientific, artistic or social arena, have often been considered anti-system, traitors, rebels and even madmen. This may seem an exceptional situation in most people’s reality, but in fact is very common in everyday life and raises serious problems for coexistence. How often have we thought about ignoring social conventions and doing what we really believed we should do? How many times have we had to control our impulses and desires? Being different, behaving differently to the rest of our citizens, is a risk that not everyone is prepared to assume. Most of us face this dilemma at some point in our lives and, generally, end up repressing our desires in favour of a peaceful and harmonious coexistence. But we are all different and singular and the betrayal of our spirit often produces frustration, impotence and despair. Eventually, that which initially seemed to be a value for social cohesion ends up becoming the main cause of confrontation.

This situation faced by human beings during their lives is the essence and main theme of the film The Sea Beyond. It is a metaphor that portrays, in a tone of dramatic black comedy, the dilemma of a man who, faced by special circumstances, must act outside the law and against the beliefs of his closest circle. A man turned by destiny into a Don Quixote who, guided by passion, will act against the established rules. Rules which, while created for an abstract body of individuals, for the most part do not take into account their particularities.

In spite of these rules and the general opinion, Ernesto, the protagonist of The Sea Beyond, will decide to remain faithful to himself, to his true spirit. A spirit which, unfortunately, for various reasons, we end up silencing most of the time. His courage and rebelliousness will teach us, with a good dose of controversy, that in life we sometimes have to act according to our convictions, without fear of being different, even if it means going against the majority’s opinion. A majority which appears to be homogeneous, but which, paradoxically, is revealed to be made up of singularities.

– Achero Mañas (Director, Screenwriter)

ERNESTO

Ernesto is nearly fifty, attractive, bohemian and with a fun personality. He is currently in the midst of a deep personal and professional crisis. After breaking up with his wife, he has been forced to give in and renounce his deepest principles to make ends meet. The sudden death of his foster mother  will force him to face a complicated dilemma. Ernesto, going against everyone else’s opinion, decides to fulfil her last wish. To do it, he will have to challenge social conventions and be true to the principles he had renounced.

CLOE

Cloe is a sensitive and complex girl, surrounded by family ties and influences. She greatly admires her grandmother, who has become her closest and indispensable confidant. When she dies, Cloe decides to travel with her father in an attempt to prevent him from committing the folly of fulfilling her last wish. The journey will help her to discover that being different can be a virtue and should not be rejected.

JULIA

Julia is a sober and rational woman, with plenty of common sense. Together with Ernesto’s mother, she is the family’s emotional anchor and the one who normally brings order to the general chaos. She has finally decided to leave Ernesto because she needs to clear her mind and reconsider her life. The death of her mother in law and subsequent events will be the catalyst for her to understand why her destiny is linked to her family’s.

CAROLINA

Carolina, is nearly eighty and still has an overwhelming personality. Her passion has always been art, particularly theatre, where she developed most of her career. If there is one thing she has learned in her long life it’s that rules, both personal and professional, are made to be broken. For that reason, she makes Ernesto, her adopted son, promise to fulfil her last wish once she dies. Her firm desire is to be cast into the ocean near her birthplace, the village of Altea.

MAX

Max is an internationally renowned musician. His career has always been linked to the interpretation of classical pieces rather than his own compositions and this has caused him great frustration. His mother’s death will bring a confrontation with Ernesto, his adoptive brother, and will also make him face the struggle that has been latent for many years.