Jean-Dominique Bauby lived a life of glamour. As the editor of the French magazine Elle, he was at the epicenter of the fashion world in Paris. But his entire life changed in an instant, when at the age of 43 he was struck by a massive stroke. By all rights, the stroke should have killed him. Instead, he survived and was diagnosed with a rare condition called “Locked-in Syndrome,” where his mind remained fully functional but the brain stem was destroyed, leaving his entire body paralyzed with the exception of one eye. The film’s story revolves around Bauby’s (Mathieu Amalric) determination to fulfill a book contract with the help of a translator.
The book, a memoir published in translation as The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, was published in 1997 and was the basis for the film. A speech therapist (Marie-Josee Croze) came up with a system of communication: they arranged the alphabet in order of the most frequently used letters and he would chose a letter by blinking. The book took about 200,000 blinks and each word about two minutes. One can only imagine what a painstaking process that had to be for both Bauby and his French transcriber.
As fascinating a story as Dauby’s is, it’s hard to imagine someone’s initial thought process when undertaking this movie. How would you shoot a film that mainly consists of eye movements? I doubt many filmmakers would jump at the task to take that on. Director/artist Julian Schnabel was the right man, and perhaps the only person who could pull it off. Schnabel had made two films prior to The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Basquiat (1996), about a young man who started out as a New York graffiti artist and became a star and Before Night Falls (2000), a look at the life of Cuban poet and novelist, Reinaldo Arenas; both these men created art despite tremendous obstacles. Clearly, Schnabel enjoys the task of telling a difficult story.
Schnabel and screenwriter Ronald Harwood came up with the perfect solution. Instead of just showing Dauby in bed for the entire film, they show what he and those around him see, his memories and fantasies. The diving bell is Bauby’s dream of himself isolated, as if he were living underwater wearing scuba gear or some kind of apparatus that allows him to breathe. The butterfly is a metaphor for his speech therapist who works tirelessly to make the most out of his life.
Schnabel seemed to make decisions concerning the film based on what he felt was best for the story, rather than the projects box office appeal. Though Ronald Harwood screenplay was written in English, Schnabel chose to shoot The Diving Bell and the Butterfly in French with English subtitles. That decision enables viewers to get closer to Bauby’s world and get a real sense of what he is feeling. Since the film centers on Bauby’s attempt to communicate with the world, it makes sense that he do it in his native tongue.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is as much about relationships as it is about communications. Bauby, a man who always had plenty of friends and lovers, discovers who his true confidants are throughout his illness. The lover he left his wife for never shows up to visit him at the hospital. However, the mother of his children, Celine (Emanuelle Seigner) visits regularly and even helps facilitate communication between Dauby and his lover. Only two friends show up, one who took Bauby’s seat on an airplane and the plane was hijacked, the friend spent four years as a prisoner in Beirut. His advice is simple but touching: Hold fast to the human inside you, and you’ll survive.
I wouldn’t call The Diving Bell and the Butterfly an inspirational film. The story is much too sad for that. I can’t imagine living in a “Locked-in” state like that and I imagine few of us can. I think the film is more heroic than anything else. Several days after watching the film, Bauby’s story is still with me. His tale remains all the more remarkable since he died only ten days after his book was published.
Though The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is not an easy film to watch, Julian Schnabel has beautifully documented one man’s struggle to unlock himself for the world to see.
The DVD is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Audio is presented in French Dolby Digital 5.1. Subtitles are in English, French, and Spanish. For those who don’t like subtitles, there are also dubbed versions in English and Spanish.
Four bonus features are included: a making-of featurette, “A Cinematic Vision,” a Charlie Rose interview with Schnabel, and Schnabel’s audio commentary.
