The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” an adaptation of a French memoir of Jean-Dominique Bauby and directed by Julian Schnabel, as truly a harrowing experience. In 1995, Bauby, then editor of Elle magazine, suffered a massive stroke, resulting in ‘locked-in’ syndrome. He becomes a prisoner with a body that is totally paralyzed and a mind fully functional. His only means of communication is by blinking one eye. After dwelling in self-pity for a period of time (who wouldn’t?), he decides to write about his experiences and thoughts, one letter at a time. Schnabel, who won the Golden Globe for Best Director, is also a recognized painter and he deftly tells Bauby’s story in inventive visual ways. In fact, the first 20-30 minutes of the film is a first person experience: the audience is Bauby. As he awakens from a three-week coma, the camera sees what he sees and hears what he hears. Later, since Bauby cannot move his head, the camera remains stationary and people move in and out of view. For Bauby, the diving bell represented his trapped life where he is unable to move, talk, and sometimes even hear. The butterfly represented his imagination, where he could escape. Both visuals enhance this story. French actor Mathiew Amalric is exceptional as Bauby and Max von Sydow does a heart-breaking turn as Bauby’s father. “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” is not a feel-good movie, but it is a story of one man triumph over adversity. Subtitled (1/11/08)