Based upon a true story. Fast living, on top of the world Elle magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby suffers a massive stroke that leaves him completely paralyzed except for his left eye.
I started watching this movie in the garage riding my exercise bike. I find that watching something while I'm exercising helps the time goes by more quickly. After finishing the "ride", I was so engrossed in the movie that I skipped the shower until later and watched the rest of it.
Movies like this that are based upon true, painful events are sometimes hard to watch. There was one time when I had to avert my eyes and another time when I actually started to cry. I'm not into weepy movies, but somehow, knowing that this was true, that I was not being emotionally manipulated, made me feel OK with getting a little weepy.
Max von Sydow plays Jean Dominique's old father who is suffering from early Alzheimer's disease. Their interaction before the stroke (seen in a flashback) is affectionate and moving, but not maudlin. After the stroke, the old man calls him at the hospital, unable to travel to it. This is a real heart breaker to watch and Max is so excellent in making the scene work. He is the only one who can talk, except through Jean Dominique's "translator" and that makes the scene particularly poignant - he does not get to hear his son's voice ever again in his life.
The only way Jean Dominique can communicate is by someone reciting a list of the most common letters used in words and when they say letter he wants to use, he blinks once. Once for Yes, twice for No. Laboriously, they do this over and over until he makes words that turn into sentences.
He says he has his intelligence and imagination and that he will not feel sorry for himself. At this point, he decides to write a book about his experience. Using the alphabet/eye blink method, he and the young woman who helps him, write the book. It becomes a best seller and is made into this movie. He dies of pneumonia 8 days after it is published.
Everyone in this movie is great. For parts of the movie we see life and the characters with him through his good eye. Sometimes the people with him forget he has limited range of vision and move out of his/our sight. We hear, throughout the movie, his voice conveying his thoughts and they are the kinds of thoughts you would expect a person in his condition to have. Angry and frustrated thoughts. Lonely and regretful thoughts.
Flashbacks are used to show his life prior to the stroke. Surreal sequences are shown to convey his imaginative thoughts. His ex-wife and children visit. Other visits tell us more about what kind of person he was. We watch his therapy sessions. All of this was carefully put together in such a way that it has a wonderful cohesiveness.
The movie was made in French and dubbed in English. This is not distracting, as it can sometimes be when it is not done well.
I found the movie to be very satisfying and sad, but not in a bad way. Here's the movie trailer.
Rating for
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
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