The Diving Bell and The Butterfly (2007)

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a genuinely emotional story about Jean-Dominique Bauby (played by Mathieu Amalric) who was a real life editor and chief of the French fashion magazine known as Elle. Who unfortunately suffer a devastating stroke, this causes him to lose complete control of his body apart from his one eye. This film explores how he becomes to terms with his condition and finds a way to communicate with the people around him. The film was told from the perspective of Jean-Dominique Bauby with the use of POV in most parts and other shots used give a better understanding of the surroundings and happenings; POV used during the hospital scenes. You are placed into the role of Jean-Dominique Bauby and making it easier to relate to the way Jean feels and how out of place he feels within this world. Throughout the duration of the film the narrative is spoken by Jean, this way it as if we the audiences can only hear Jean as he cannot communicate to others. It as if we are in the mind of Jean and only us can understand what he is thinking and try to get across to others. It that more emotional for use to know how he is feeling and others not known. One of the best and realistic moments within the film I find is when they show the scene of Jean having his left eye stitched together as it can no longer work as it's infective. What the film does is instead of showing use the procedure gets done while looking at his face in a close-up shot it's done from a POV perspective. We see through his eyes his left eye being stitched up; we physically see the needles and thread come through his eyelid and can see the stitches going until only the right eye is left. This particular shot is so realistic it is as if your only eye is being stitched together and showcase us looking physically through his own eyes. The narrative doesn't accurately follow a linear path. The many stories tell specific areas in which Jean tells his story this is done primarily through flashbacks. An example of this is when Jean is the story starts off with Jean at the hospital and then a while after Jean recalls the moment in which he was then at his healthiest. The viewers get more information behind his story while tying in with current events. However, most of his flashback are dream sequences but still fills in blank spaces within the story. My overall impression of the film is that is a very well made piece that explicitly addresses the audience on how Jean is suffering. It also puts our thoughts into consideration that this was an actual recorded event that got told by the real life Jean through communication by using a blinking system that was set up by a nurse for him. I would recommend this film to others, even though it is my style of film and would have never considered viewing it, but after seeing the movie, I incredibly enjoyed it and such others to come and see it.