Le Scaphandre et le Papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)

Jean-Do is the editor of Elle Magazine. He inexpectedly  suffers a stroke that paralyses his entire body, except for his left eye, which is the only way in which he can communicate. 

The first part of the film is all seen through Jean-Do's eyes. It's a technique that works wonders in itself, but it's even more effecitve together with Jean-Do's voice over. Both elements combined give us a pretty good idea of what the character is going through. The cinematography is undoubtedly one of the best of the year. The film is gorgeous from start to end. The shots of nature and basically all the scenes involving Jean-Do's past life are very easy to admire, but equally impressive are the scenes in the hospital (particularly when everything is seen through the character's point of view) as the camera and lighting are what make them so powerfuly effective.

This film can be quite sad, and by 'sad', I mean emotionally devastating. But, it's not depressive in tone. In fact, it's a celebration of life. I'm not only referring to the flashbacks of Jean-Do's past life, which are gorgeously vivid, but also to his actual present in the film. He's almost completely paralysed and yet he is more alive than many people with perfect health. This is not to say he immediately accepts his condition, this is an extremely humane character with flaws and strengths and the film doesn't hesitate to show both sides. But things like his sense of humour (his voice-overs are often quite funny and he shows that he's able to laugh at himself in more than one occasion), his active and colourful imagination (it plays a very important role in the film as Jean-Do is often seen fantasising and it's really what makes him feel alive), his heartbreaking regrets of his past life (he can't even atone for his faults) and his admirable determination to write a book describing his life are what make this character so vividly real and sympathetic.

The acting is all around spectacular. Amalric gives a very convincing performance as Jean-Do, nailing both his persona before the stroke (confident and somewhat cocky) and after he's completely paralysed, managing to express different kinds of emotions only using his eyes. The women are also fabulous: Emmanuelle Seigner's performance as the mother of his children was very carefully crafted and is full of nuance. There's a particular scene in which she has to "mediate" between Jean-Do and his lover/girlfriend over the phone that's especially heartwrenching. Marie-Josée Croze (Henriette) and Anne Consigny (Claude), the two women who helped develop the system Jean-Do uses to communicate and patiently wrote every word he dictated, respectively, imbued their characters with an honest kindness and warmth that's especially touching. Last, but not least, Max von Sydow as Jean-Do's father gives the best performance out of the cast. His scenes are very brief but the range of emotions he manages to display in them is mind-blowing. Before his son's stroke (as seen through the flashbacks) he's seen as physically weak, sure, but looking strong and content with his life and his son. Later on, during the conversation he and his son have over the phone (Jean-Do's blinks interpreted by Claude) he shows devastating vulnerability and painfully expresses sadness through every inch of his feeble body. This is the most emotional scene of the film and I dare anyone to see it and not (at least) tear up!

The title might appear to be quite odd, but it fits the film's themes well. The diving bell is a metaphor for his condition, a suffocating prison for his body; while the butterfly refers to his mind, and more specifically, to his imagination. On the whole, this is a very empowering and uplifting film with a great ensemble and breathtaking visuals. Highly recommended!

Personal rating: 9/10