Painful
I enjoy French films, but this is one of the worst, most depressing and simply un-entertaining films I've seen in many years.

The first 35 minutes, where he wakes up in a hospital and has to come to terms with his new locked-in life, are gruesome, slow and depressing to watch... but you can't help hoping that some kind of point to the story will come along.

By the end of the film, you realise it didn't.

Definitely a film to rent, rather than buy.
To watch once (or not at all), rather than treasure forever..

not the true story it purports to be
you are inside the head of someone who can only blink, as his wife sits at his bedside and refuses to pass on his mistress's phone call.... this film has become the accepted version of events ... but now the mistress has published her own version of what really happened, in order to undermine the film's acceptance as the official version of events.
Florence Ben Sadoun's book is 'La Faure Veuve',(reviewed in Observer Women nov 30th 2008 ) in which recounts how it was she, and not the wife, who visited Jean Do' in hospital 2-3 times each week , having been in a relationship with him for 3 years. The film rights of the book were passed on to his children, and the facts were delivered 'volte face', portraying the wife as someone to be admired and pitied. Only a handful of people knew this film portrayal to be untrue, one of whom was the editor of Elle magazine , which consequently did not officially review the film.
Now the record is being put straight. This does not, however , detract from the essential tragic/heroic nature of the film, which is very painful to watch.

The Best French Film Since Amelie!
'The Diving Bell & The Butterfly' is without doubt the best French film of the past couple of years.
The best words I can use to describe this film are; beautiful, poignant, sad & funny.
The subject matter is pretty morbid, based on the autobiograpphical book of the same title about a former Vogue editor who had a stroke & developed 'locked-in-syndrome' whereby he is unable to move his body or communicate, but his mind is fully working.
The very stricken upon lead (Jean-Do) is played by Mathieu Amalric.
His estranged partner- mother to his three children (played by Emmanuelle Seigners) is one of the other lead characters who helps Jean-Do through his nightmare-like state. The carer who puts a lot of time & effort into helping Jean-Do is Henriette (Marie-Josee Croze). These are in my mind the most apparent characters in the film.
What I really liked about the film was the first-person narrating from Jean-Do, he tells his story while appearing completely out of it. He is brought from being a well respected magazine editor to being a dependent hospital patient, able to do little or nothing for himself.
There wasn't anything about the film I didn't like, come to think of it, I personally don't think there were any major flaws or disappointments.
As the viewer watches the first fives minutes they are launched into seeing Jean-Do's decendance into his own physical prison.
The subject matter is unsettling & the thought of it is horrible that a person could go through such a thing, which appears to be one of the most debilitating & frustrating condition I have ever seen on film.
All the while Jean-Do retains his sense of humour, impacting those around him profoundly. The fact that the movie has some very funny scenes is a triumph, throughout Jean-Do's wallowing & self-pity he has a laugh at his own infliction, contemplates his life & achievements & learns to communicate by winking to yes & no answers.
Becuase of Jean-Do's high profile he decides to write an autobiography, so he enlists a writer to tell his life story.
Unfortunately, just when the viewer thinks everything is going to be okay, things get much worse.
I cried a lot at the end of this film. It gave me a new lease of life & shows that the simple pleasures in life are the most important & love transcends everything.
The performances in the film are amazing, particularly , Mathieu Amalric's, that even though he is confined to most scenes with his face in the same position, he has that undeniable behind-the-eye emotion that makes him perform well & I think crying without moving your face is quite an achievement (not just sit there doing nothing).
Emmanuelle Seigner is great as his ex-partner (Celine) who seems to be grieving the loss of her children's father before he's dead & she is supportive of him throughout the film even though one gets the impression that she is still in love with Jean-Do. Marie-Josee Croze is amazing as his carer, she has a natural beauty that fits in well with her character, Henriette is clearly a complex woman who clearly does her job for fulfillment & she like many others has a bond & a conection with Jean-Do.
'The Diving Bell & The Butterfly' is unmissable, the movie has a rare quality that enables the viewer to laugh & cry during one scene.
A must see, even though it is a sad film, you'll probably go out of it feeling good.



Clever and Original Film
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is a gripping French film based on a true story about a renowned magazine editor,who after suffering a devastating stroke became paralysed,only able to communicate by blinking one of his eyes. The acting in the film is of a very high standard throughout as we watch the immobile Jean-Do face up to his life altering circumstances at first with despair but then with resignation and finally acceptance of his horrible fate. He is lucky in that he has the love of two women,his wife and mistress to keep him going , as well as his three children and several attentive speech therapists and helpers. Their support bolsters his spirits and enable him to "write" his memoirs and share his experiences of life as a victim of "locked in" syndrome with the world.The film is at times depressing and sad , but it is vital and original as well.

Not a patch on the book!
The book was extraordinary, both for how it was painstakingly written and the condition of JDB, but mostly because it was genuinely uplifting.

The film despite being beautifully shot and well played just can't compete, it keeps having to tell us things rather than show them and basically becomes a monologue. The imagery of the diving bell which worked to well in the book falls apart when it's shown on screen - it rendered too plodding and literal. Essentially it's un-filmable.

Disappointing, stick with the book despite being a brave effort.

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