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Synopsis: The real story of a man who suffered a stroke and was left completely paralyzed with the exception of an eyelid, which he used to communicate with others.

Technical Details

Title The Diving Bell And The Butterfly Country United States, France Genre Drama Language French Director Julian Schnabel Cast Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Croze, Max von Sydow Year 2007     My Rating More Info IMDB Buy Amazon

Review

This film is based on the memoirs of the same title written by Jean-Dominique Beauby after he suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed and only able to move one eyelid, but with no cerebral damage. Beauby dictated the book to an assistant who read the letters of the alphabet aloud until he blinked.

The first section of the film is narrated in first person, giving the viewer a devastating glimpse into the mind of Beauby trapped in a paralyzed body. When his family and friends visit him he recalls past episodes of his life, the relationship with his father (Max Von Sydow) being the most emotional. And when one of his therapists conceives a method by which he can communicate using eye blinks he decides to write his memoirs dictating it to an assistant.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a beautiful film from every aspect. In addition to telling an inspiring story it is well acted and technically impeccable.

©2008 by Miguel Grinberg

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