The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

Through the years I’ve seen lots of movies where people are stuck somewhere. It can be in a building (Die Hard), a coffin (Buried), under a rock (127 Hours) or in a phone booth (well..Phone booth). Never before had I seen a movie where the main character is trapped inside his own body. Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric) wakes up completely paralysed. His brain is fully functioning, but he can’t express himself anymore. The only thing he can move is his left eyelid and it is his only way to communicate with others. By using this form of communication he is able to express himself and write a book. The amazing thing about this movie though is that it is a true story.

Before Jean-Dominique Bauby had a stroke at age 43 he was editor for French fashion magazine Elle. He was living a nice, luxurious life which came to a sudden halt as he couldn’t do anything anymore after waking up at the Marine Hospital of Berck-sur-Mer. Being diagnosed with “locked-in syndrome” he could only see out of one eye and communicate with it through a various laborious process in which someone else would recite the letters that were used most in the French language and him blinking when he heard the one he wanted to say. He struggles with the situation but find the will to write a book. He already agreed with a publisher to write a book before his stroke (it would be a book comparable to The Count of Monte Cristo with a female protagonist), but instead he chose to write about himself. The things he thought about and what he was experiencing.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is an amazing film, which grabbed my attention immediately. A big part of the movie is shot from a first person perspective where you hear what Bauby is thinking. When he blinks you see this and when he cries the image becomes blurred. It’s all very convincing, but the moment where I really felt a connection to this person was the moment when the doctors touch his body and he doesn’t feel it. Because of this first person perspective you actually get the feeling yourself if you are in this body and after this moment I knew this was a special movie. It’s based on the book he wrote and it manages to show his experience. He revisits old memories, describes how he experiences the hospital (there is a big balcony outside where he sits regularly and where he compares the view to a movie set) and the which feelings he has about the people around him. He describes these things so beautifully that this movie made me want to read his book, which I almost bought immediately. I don’t read much, but his book was one I finished in a day. If you have seen the movie you will want to read this. The movie does take some liberties with some of the details, but it’s a faithful translation to the big screen.

Originally the part of Bauby was scheduled to be played by Johny Depp, who had to drop out of it because he had to shoot one of the Pirates movies. I must admit that I think it’s good that he didn’t do it as Mathieu Amalric plays the role exquisitely. As his character has lost control of his muscles he can only act with one eye for most of the movie. His performance is very convincing and you would probably think it was a miracle is you would see him getting up. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly shows that the mind can be very strong in very difficult situations and that the human spirit still allows you to explore even if it’s only in your own thoughts.

Score: 8