Le scaphandre et le papillon

Based off of the real-life tragedy of Elle France’s Editor-in-chief, Jean-Dominique Bauby, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” directed by painter Julian Schnabel, is a poignant and beautiful film in both its story and composition.

The French film is an adaptation of a memoir, of the same title, written by Bauby before his death and it appears with English subtitles.

Bauby (played by Mathieu Amalric) suffers a massive stroke at the peak of his career in the mid 90s. The film follows Bauby after his accident, as he is trapped inside his own body, in a complete state of paralysis, yet fully conscious of his surroundings. His only form of communication is blinking. The majority of the film is told from first person narrative—through Bauby’s eyes and his thoughts which the audience hears out loud.

Before his accident, Bauby had a book deal. Now trapped in a hospital and in his own body, he decides to continue with the book deal, but tell it from his experience of his current state. He works with a therapist who comes up with a language system to interpret his blinking. One word or blink at a time, his therapist helps him write his book, which essential becomes his memoir.

One of the most emotional scenes in the film can be seen early on after you witness Bauby in his “locked-in” state, he is no longer able to open and close his right eye. Doctors decide to stitch his eye shut to prevent an infection. The audience witnesses this through the lens of the camera as if they were Bauby’s own eye.

Trapped in his own mind, Bauby’s most intimate thoughts are shown and while the audience empathizes with the character, they also become conscious of the power of the human mind to overcome even the most traumatic of events in ones life. When Bauby moves past his feelings of self-pity, bits of humor are weaved in to scenes from his inner monologue.

The audience meets significant people in Bauby’s life--his children, his ex, his father and his current girlfriend, though she refuses to visit him in the hospital. The brief encounters of these characters don’t allow for much development on their own, but they are developed in Bauby’s own memories of them and past events as he still has feelings of guilt from unresolved relationship problems.

A large portion of the film is set in Bauby’s hospital bed with an eerie coastline in the background that mirrors the solidarity he must feel.

The 2007 film is Schnabel’s third and probably most notable to date, as he previously gained recognition as a filmmaker with his first release “Basquiat.” And though Schnabel is American, he seems to have mastered the art of French film.