Diving Bells and Butterflies (analytical/regular review) 9.5/10

"The Diving Bell and Butterflies" is a cinematic masterpiece where the mind and the heart of Jean-Dominique Bauby is translated without flaws. From the more surreal dream scenes where ice falls to the ocean to the more realistic scenes where he eats dinner with a special someone, the audience is drawn by Jean-Dominique's (Mathieu Amalric) saucy charm. The beginning of this ravishing French film reveals Jean-Dominique's condition the most. The audience at the beginning experiences a waking up. His vision is blurred. There's a feeling of nausea as the people speak in gibberish and the television is blurred. Everyone around seems like a block of pixels.

Jean Dominique learns he has locked-in syndrome. He's paralyzed from head to toe with the exception of his left eye where he is able to see and blink. He can’t talk, can’t eat, and some even call him a vegetable (Jean would ask, “What kind of vegetable? A carrot?” His one eye plays an important role within the rest of the film as he tries to overcome locked-in syndrome and try to talk with other people in a language all his own. He has to speak through blinking and with the help of his two nurses.

The wonderfulness is not within the complexities of the shots or anything of that sort but rather the simplistic and yet accurate first person view. When Jean Dominique comes out of his coma, we see doctors and equipment and when it all comes into focus and the lens is able to see features like noses and eyes, they almost intrude into our personal space. They look into our eyes, into Jean-Dominique’s. The experience is refreshing compared to the movies where the shots are in the distance to see a missile shooting at a large robot and there’s a huge explosion. Instead of seeing a grand forest, we as an audience get to see the single tree.

The character of Jean Dominique might be the breaking point for many people watching the film for he’s a smug character, full of sarcasm and wit. For those that do not appreciate biting sarcasm and some wit here and there, they might not appreciate the character. There is though another side that cares about others and can reflect about a situation. When he is with the nurses at first, Marie (Olatz López Garmendia) and Claude (Anne Consigny) he first takes a look at their boobs and deems them well enough to be his nurses. There is a saucy side to him but as he gets to know them more he sees more than just the bodies, he sees Marie is a devout Christian and that Claude cares for him and wants to make him better and he matters to her.

Essentially through all the cinematography of us seeing through his eyes and through us relating to his humor and his family the audience is rooting for him to get better. There’s a draw to him. The human experience, what everyone seems to care about is deeply endowed in the story. The main draw of this movie is to show the human experience trapped in a body which can’t speak, talk, or even swallow properly. The power of the human imagination is strong and we are able to see through his eyes. His imagination becomes our own and we are able to see and yearn what he yearns for.

Overall I'd give it a 9.5/10 since it has amazing cinematography a great storyline and a great amount of symbols that make a second viewing great.