Diving Bell and the Butterfly
All I can say is WOW!!! This is a must-see film, especially for those who like character-driven films. It's not fast acting, nor should it be, and the story is simple, as it was in real life. The direction and camera work of the first fifteen minutes was some of the best I've ever seen - and left me at times, breathless and in a complete state of shock and empathy for the film's main character.
It's tragic and remarkable story about a man who suffered a great deal and made the absolute most of his harrowing circumstances. Based upon a true story. French with English subtitles.
It's certainly not the "feel good movie of the year," but does provide hope in this oft too-cynical world we all live in.
SPOLER ALERT: If you want to see a brief plot synopsis, I've written it below in white type. You can select the several lines of text below to read:
For those who do not know, it is the true story about a frenchman, Jean-Dominique Beauby, editor of French "Elle" magazine, father of three, and lover of many, who in the prime of his life at age 42 suffers a sudden stroke. The stroke causes an extremely rare condition called "locked-in syndrome," whereby Jean-Do is completely paralyzed with the exception of some slight movement in his head, and the ability to blink his left eye.
His eye becomes his window to the world, and his only means of communication. He works with a speech therapist who devises a means for him to speak - one letter at a time. He then goes forward to write a memoir about his experience having locked-in syndrome, in what he deems his "diving bell."
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