The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

I first heard about this movie during the time of the last academy awards, when it was nominated for achievements in directing, cinematography, editing, and writing. This emotional true story about Jean-Dominique Bauby's struggles with "locked-in syndrome" definitely lived up to its award-season hype.

One of the first unique and intriguing aspects of this film is the use of subjective point of view shots that dominate the film. The way those scenes were shot helped me relate to the frustration Bauby felt as a result of his paralysis. The shots are incredibly exact to Jean-Do's vision...the screen would even slowly blur as tears filled his eyes and blocked his sight. Also, the camera would remain fixed while actors moved around it, which portrayed his inability to move his head and follow them. This amazing technique really helped me understand and personally feel the despair and distress of a stroke victim.

I think Mathieu Amalric gave an incredible performance Jean-Dominique Bauby. Instead of being allowed to convey emotion through body language and speech, he only had one eye he was allowed to move! Somehow, maybe through movement and blinking patterns, I was almost able to know what Jean-Do was thinking. I can't imagine the difficulty of the role. Also, I believe the character of Jean-Do's father (or "Papinou"), played by Max von-Sydow, is also worth praise. At first we see the father as a witty and loving old man, and later his emotional break-down as he talks to his paralyzed son over the telephone. His genuine emotion was incredibly stirring.

The imagery in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was so beautiful and meaningful in its symbolism. My favorite scenes are when it cuts to Bauby hanging in a great empty space of water, trapped inside his diving bell...it really drives at the true nature of his terrible syndrome. However, to counter that dragging feeling, later there are airy and light scenes following a butterfly as his imagination develops and his spirit is uplifted. The montage scenes of Bauby's memory and imagination are beautiful in their randomness, and really make this film unique.