"I decided to stop pitying myself. Other than my eye, two things aren't paralyzed, my imagination and my memory."Julian Schnabel's French film, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, is a powerful and emotional film about a man suffering from locked-in syndrome due to a stroke. Despite having his mental faculties intact, he is almost completely paralyzed and unable to communicate with the outside world. The once successful magazine editor is now living as a prisoner of his own body. The only muscle he is capable of moving is his left eye and with the help of a therapist he manages to communicate by blinking his eye. Mathieu Amalric gives a powerful performance as Jean- Dominique Bauby, and most of the film takes place from his point of view. Schnabel brilliantly and effectively uses camera angles to give the audience a glimpse of what this person's claustrophobic world was like. From the very opening scene we are hooked and drawn to Jean- Do's new world as he's trapped in his body. It is a very emotional film based on the autobiography written by Bauby himself who managed to write the book with the help of his therapist through the use of a communication system they developed. The sole fact that this man was able to write a book in the condition he was in, is reason enough for me to want to read his book or see a movie based on his life. It takes a lot of courage to open up the way Jean-Do did, and I think it is one of the main reasons why this film worked so well for audiences across the globe. It says a lot about how powerless we are against these illnesses, but at the same time we can also share Jean-Do's approach of learning to deal with his disability and facing the obstacles with optimism. He realized that despite being physically disabled he still had his mental faculties and was able to break those boundaries with the power of his imagination. I am also certain that this element is what caught director Schnabel's attention and what pushed him to make this film. He tells the story with such class that despite the emotional moments you never feel he was trying to be manipulative or force the audience into feeling a certain way. The performances in this film are also outstanding, making this an even more engaging movie. I also loved the beautiful imagery that Schnabel used, turning the film into a poem at times. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was a personal film for me considering that my father is going through a slightly similar experience as the character in this film. He suffered a stroke four years ago and hasn't been able to speak since. The right side of his body was paralyzed, but with help from therapy he has been able to walk again. Despite not being able to speak he understands everything and communicates with us through signs and facial expressions. The brave way in which he has managed to face his illness by always being in good spirits and not letting the disease get the best of him is a constant reminder for me of how much our attitude influences the way we approach life. He could be feeling sorry for himself, or he can stay positive and continue to improve with therapy in a similar way that Jean-Do did with his locked in syndrome. Having your mental capabilities intact is a major force considering you can escape those limitations in your mind and let your imagination fly. In a way, it was a turning point for Jean-Do when he realized this and Schnabel managed to capture those moments really well on camera. The scenes he shares with his family members are among my favorite in the film. I loved the scene in which he's in the beach with his ex-wife and kids. It is such an emotional scene but at the same time it felt authentic and real. The scenes with his father, played by Max von Sydow, are also extremely powerful and effective. You rarely see a biopic like this one, and Schnabel deserves all the credit for making an original and moving picture.

France is teaching us how to create beautiful and artistic cinematic masterpieces, and its strongest example yet is "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." This true story is about a man named Jean-Do who suffers a seizure that causes his entire body to be paralyzed except for his left eye. Jean-Do is still cognitive and was a very successful editor for the fashion magazine "elle" who had many different lovers, two children, and wealth. Jean-Do experiences many beautiful memories and thoughts through the power of imagination after getting a detailed background of his life and health situation. His ex lover and mother of his children, Celine, visits and takes care of him often, while he misses his current lover and aged father. Jean-Do also is powered by the faces of beautiful nurses who help him and get to understand him by blinking his left eye while they say letters, noting that when he blinks the previous letter was chosen in his constructing word. Director Julian Schnabel makes you see the world through the eyes of Jean-Do himself and creates shots that are so unique that you'll think "How did he do that?" We see the world through the eyes of a physically weak man, but get the thoughts of a powerful and vibrant man with strong feelings and emotions about love and happiness with help from skilled cinematographers. The beauty of each flashback makes us feel grateful for being able to live life with freedom and ability to do whatever we want. We also get to see the formations and failure of various relationships in Jean-Do's life that are very relatable. The perks of parenthood, marriage, and fraternal connections are examined with the perfect amount of screen-time. This masterpiece is set up perfectly and put together in fantastic order to bring you one of the most beautiful and well-constructed foreign films of all time. The beauty of "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is full of rich symbolism and talented film-makers that you'll be grateful to live and achieve everything you've ever wanted. Live life the best you can, never take anything for granted, and find the beauty in everything, that's the messages we are sent from a work of art that is one of cinema's strongest icons.

This has to be one of the most amazing movies ever made. The cinematography is sublime as well as the soundtrack. While on the whole the movie is really moving, it is also quite humorous at times and it leaves you with an overwhelming feeling once you have watched it for the first time and tell everyone else about it. Mathieu Amalric's portrayal of Jean-Dominique Bauby is perfect and due to the way the film is shot, you can really identify the main character's emotional turmoil, frustrations and fantasies. Why this hasn't won more awards than it has is truly a mystery, definitely one of the finest French movies of all time if not the finest movie ever full stop.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a touching story about a man who wakes up from a coma, only to realize he is paralyzed and suffers from locked-in syndrome. To survive a stroke is one thing, but to never be able to feel your children's hands or speak with your lover is an incomprehensible feeling that subdues death. Waking up after three weeks to a medical team in a foreign bed is terrifying. To respond to others but only heard by yourself, to love but not capable of showing emotion is an unfathomable experience that this film does an exceptional job of capturing. The producers of this movie understood what it means to be paralyzed, both from a physical and an emotional perspective, and succeed in telling the story of Jean-Do from his point of view.The tremendous tale of Jean-Dominique Bauby is one that captures the essence of human life and pursues the meaning of existence. This seriously thought-provoking motion picture is one for the ages, and is a film that should be praised for its originality and dedication to magnifying the value of life.