The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

‘Le Scaphandre et le Papillon’ is a brilliant French film based on the true story of Jean-Do Bauby who was the successful and vivacious editor of Elle magazine until he suffered a stroke at the age of 43. He became almost entirely paralysed, only retaining movement in his left eye. Inside, his brain still functioned. He could still see and hear people. It is what’s known as ‘locked-in syndrome’.

The film starts with the audience given a first person point of view of Bauby regaining consciousness in hospital after his stroke. We live in Bauby’s head as he struggles to come to terms with what has happened to him. Eventually he meets with the hospital speech therapist and physical therapist who will try to offer him as much rehabilitation as he can manage and we follow their work with him for the next year as Bauby comes to terms with his condition and reflects on his life.

The direction by Julian Schnabel is outstanding. He makes the film a visual experience more than anything else. I was impressed with almost everything about it and it gets 8 crumbs out of 10 from me.

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