Review of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) by Stefany B — 13 Aug 2009

This true story shows the life of a man named Jean-Dominique Bauby who had a stroke and became completely paralyzed. The only thing he could move was his left eyelid, which he used to communicate with (with the help of his kind and determined speech therapist) by blinking the alphabet. Yet, he himself was fine. He was fully aware of everything around him and he used his imagination to escape the cold walls of the hospital (and his body) he was trapped in. What he had was something quite rare called "locked-in syndrome.".

But, the film doesn't simply leave us with that. Sure we see him struggle throughout and hear his sad (and sometimes humorous) thoughts. But the film doesn't try to be melodramatic. As the film progresses, we see more and more flashbacks of the life Jean-Do used to have. We see him as a son, a father, and a lover. A powerful, yet cynical 40-something who was an editor for the well-known 'Elle' magazine. We see him as a human being and identify with him. Not some helpless 'vegetable' that needs to be pitied. He went through a lot in life. But he sometimes didn't stop to think about his actions and the consequences that would happen afterwards. Therefore, he left a life unfinished that he ends up being forced to move on from. A life full of regrets.

I could go on and on about this film and start to talk about the stunning camera work, but I'll stop myself (even though the visuals made the film even more amazing). All in all, this is a must see. It will change you, even if for a moment.