The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
A Review of the New Schnabel Film Based on the Memoir of Jean Do
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, the new film from acclaimed French film director, Julian Schnabel, testifies to the strength of the human spirit.
Imagine waking up and realising you’re trapped in your body and only your left eye works properly. You have your memories, thoughts and consciousness but everything else no longer functions as it should.
That is exactly what happens to lead character Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric), or “Jean-Do,” in the emotionally charged drama, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Based on a true story, French Director Julian Schnabel (“Basquiat” and “Before Night Falls”), leads the audience through the life of former French Elle magazine editor Jean Do - starting with the time before the accident that caused his disability to his new life dealing with his debilitating condition.
The Strength of Jean Do
Schnabel directed most of the scenes from Jean Do’s point of view, with the camera substituting as his eye. This at times makes viewers feel just as trapped and frustrated as Jean Do. However, such a technique permits you to get inside this man’s head and hear his thoughts, travel through his memories and see the ideas forging in his imagination with an up close and personal feel.
A series of flashbacks portrays Jean Do as a man with a passion for life, enormous energy and a lust for women, namely the devoted “mother of his children” Celina (Emmanuelle Seigner) and Inés (Agathe de la Fontaine), the girlfriend still lingering in the shadows of his mind. After the accident, another Jean Do emerges, one filled with bitterness beautiful speech therapist Henriette (Montreal actor Marie-Josée Croze) gives him a new lease on life.
The Butterfly Emerges
Using a specialised alphabet, Henriette teaches Jean Do to communicate with the world once again by blinking his eye when recognizing letters. Armed with a new form of communication, Jean Do demonstrates that despite his catastrophic circumstance, he has not lost his strength and transcribes his memoir, which eventually became a published book on which The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is based.
Some scenes become repetitive and hearing the constant spelling becomes excruciatingly painful after a while, however that may just be the point. To fully understand the frustration and anger that Jean Do experiences and to feel as if you too suffer from 'locked in syndrome' many scenes feature the actors in close ups talking directly to the camera, as if the audience was Jean Do. Though slow moving and at times agonizing to experience, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is beautifully shot, well acted and superbly cast. The film makes you reflect on your own life and how quickly things can change.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly has featured in international film festivals in Toronto and Cannes where Julian Schnabel received the Director’s Award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated The Diving Bell and The Butterfly for four Oscars including best Adapted Screenplay and Achievement in Cinematography.
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