The Belly of the Sea

The Belly of the Sea
The Belly of the Sea
	Poster
Catalan	El ventre del mar
Directed by	Agustí Villaronga
Written by	Agustí Villaronga
Based on	Ocean Sea; by Alessandro Baricco
Produced by	Cesc Mulet; Javier Pérez Santana
Starring	Roger Casamajor; Òscar Kapoya
Cinematography	Blai Tomàs; Josep María Civit
Edited by	Bernat Aragonés
Production; companies	Testamento P.C.T.; La Perifèrica Produccions; Productions Link-Up; Turkana Films; Bastera Films
Distributed by	Elástica Films; Filmin;
Release dates	April 2021 (MIFF); 12 November 2021 (Spain);
Running time	76 minutes
Country	Spain
Language	Catalan

The Belly of the Sea (Catalan: El ventre del mar) is a 2021 Spanish drama film directed and written by Agustí Villaronga, based on the novel Ocean Sea by Italian writer Alessandro Baricco. It was shot in black and white and stars Roger Casamajor and Òscar Kapoya.

Plot

In June, 1816, the French frigate Alliance runs aground off the coast of Senegal. Without enough boats for everyone, a raft is built to tow 147 men to shore. But panic and confusion seize the convoy and cut the tow rope, abandoning the raft to its fate. Hunger, madness and a fierce fight break out on that drifting raft. Savigny, a ruthless medical officer, and Thomas, a rebellious private sailor, face each other with a different attitude to survive. A horror that lasted for days and days. A scene where the greatest of cruelties and the sweetest of pieties were shown.

Cast

Roger Casamajor as Savigny
Òscar Kapoya as Thomas
Muminu Diayo as Thèrese
Marc Bonnín as Markus

Production

The Belly of the Sea was produced by Testamento and La Perifèrica Produccions alongside Turkana Films, Link-up Barcelona and Bastera Films, with the participation of IB3 and TV3, funding from the ICAA, support from the ICEC, and the sponsoring of Fundació Mallorca Turisme and the Mallorca Film Commission.^[1] It was fully shot in the island of Mallorca.^[1]

Release

The film made its world premiere at the 43rd Moscow International Film Festival (MIFF) in April 2021 as part of the official competition.^[2]^[1] In June 2021, it also screened at the Málaga Spanish Film Festival (FMCE), where it won six awards including the Golden Biznaga for Best Spanish Film.^[3]^[4] It was likewise presented at the 69th San Sebastián International Film Festival, screened as part of the 'Made in Spain' section.^[5] Distributed by Elástica Films and Filmin,^[5] it was released in Spain on 12 November 2021.

Critical reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 60% based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 5.80.^[6] Javier Ocaña from El País commented "it's not an easy film, although it is a relevant study on cowardice and ineptitude, abandonment and forgetfulness, which unfortunately extends through the ages".^[7] Writing for Fotogramas, Beatriz Martínez rated the film four out of five stars, marvelling how, with a very low budget, Villaronga managed to create a masterpiece.^[8]

Awards and nominations


Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2021	43rd Moscow International Film Festival	Critics's Jury Award	The Belly of the Sea	Won	^[1]
	24th Málaga Film Festival	Golden Biznaga for Best Spanish Film	The Belly of the Sea	Won	^[3]
		Silver Biznaga for Best Director	Agustí Villaronga	Won
		Silver Biznaga for Best Screenplay	Agustí Villaronga	Won
		Silver Biznaga for Best Actor	Roger Casamajor	Won
		Silver Biznaga for Best Score	Marcús J.G.R.	Won
		Silver Biznaga for Best Cinematography	Josep María Civit and Blai Tòmas	Won
2022	9th Feroz Awards	Arrebato Award (fiction film)		Nominated	^[9]
	77th CEC Medals	Best Adapted Screenplay	Agustí Villaronga	Nominated	^[10]
	36th Goya Awards	Best Adapted Screenplay	Agustí Villaronga	Nominated	^[11]
	14th Gaudí Awards	Best Film		Nominated	^[12]^[13]
		Best Director	Agustí Villaronga	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Agustí Villaronga	Nominated
		Best Actor	Roger Casamajor	Nominated
		Best Production Supervision	Bàrbara Ferrer	Nominated
		Best Art Direction	Susy Gómez	Nominated
		Best Editing	Bernat Aragonés	Nominated
		Best Original Music	Marcús JGR	Nominated
		Best Cinematography	Josep M. Civit, Blai Tomàs	Nominated
		Best Costume Design	Susy Gómez, Pau Aulí	Nominated
		Best Visual Effects	Anna Aragonès	Nominated
		Best Makeup and Hairstyles	Alma Casal	Nominated
		Public's Choice Special Award for Best Film		Nominated	^[12]^[14]