The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

I saw this movie some months back. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is audacious and personal biopic, based on the best-selling memoir of the same name. The film tells the remarkable tale of Jean-Dominique Bauby played by Mathieu Amalric, the world-renowned editor of French ELLE magazine, who suffered a stroke and was paralyzed by the inexplicable "locked in" syndrome at the age of 43. As he soon realises that this is his life he has to struggle to come to terms with his predicament until he decides to write the book. Developing a technique with his speech therapist of blinking out letters and words he painstakingly begins the arduous task of writing with the saintly and patient Josephine, often working diligently for hours only to come up with a single page of text. At times petulant, demanding and emotionally stressed, the effect of his condition weighs heavily against the life-loving man he once was, which is used in flashbacks to contrast against his diminished state. The photography is superb. The camera angles are innovative and treat to watch. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a jewel of a French film. Its a must must see.