The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

            To say it is difficult to imagine what it would be like to be paralyzed from head to toe is truly an understatement, though “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” certainly gives you a fair idea. This film chronicles the life of Jean Dominique Bauby, past editor-in-chief of French Elle, after he suffers a severe stroke that leaves him completely paralyzed, with the exception of his left eye. With the help of his speech therapist, Jean-Do uses the blinking of his eye to communicate. She devised a system in which the French alphabet is recited to Jean-Do, who blinks to select the letters he wishes to communicate. This is how he “writes” his memoir of the same name, which this film is based upon. Through cinematic elements, such as cinematography, editing, and acting, director Julian Schnabel and his crew effectively put the audience in the shoes of Jean-Dominique Bauby, leaving the viewer with a greater sense of appreciation of what one has, and what one can have and experience.

            The film starts with Jean-Do awakening from a coma, though the audience isn’t aware of this yet, for they are in a sense Jean-Do himself. It is shot in his point-of-view, and for the first twenty minutes or so, the images are out of focus and shaky. Everything on the screen is what he sees and hears: doctors’ faces are swimming in and out of focus, the screen flashes white as a light is shined in Jean-Do’s eye (the camera), colors bleed as he blinks, and the image fades in and out. Often just the eye and part of the face of a doctor is in frame, or a mouth, for they are speaking very close to Jean-Do’s face. The editing is also used as a tool to help simulate Jean-Do’s POV. When he closes his eyes, it is a cut, and when he opens it again you’re in another place. This is used to alternate between reality and his imagination. The cuts are also abrupt. His memories are vivid and usually accompanied by upbeat music, then, it cuts to reality and subdued voices or silence. The editing is jarring at times, especially in the opening sequence. These approaches are effective in making one feel very uncomfortable and disorientated, and truly aids in the attempt to make the audience empathize with Jean-Do by allowing them to experience what he is seeing. If the viewer is frustrated by this view they can only imagine what it must have been like for Jean-Do. Another instance of frustration shared by the audience and Jean-Do is when he is being wheeled out to see his ex for the first time. He catches unclear glimpses of himself in the hallway. Curiosity is instilled in the viewer, and the audience wants to see more clearly but is unable to, just in the same way that Jean-Do is unable to ask to stop to look at his reflection. Hearing his thoughts while seeing what he is seeing helps the viewer get closer to Jean-Do and more emotionally attached to the story.

 Janusz Kaminski, the Director of Photography, was nominated for an Academy Award for this film’s beautiful imagery. His innovative cinematographic techniques help create the unique look of the film. To simulate the blink of the eye, he would sometimes close two fingers in front of the lens. Some blinks were made in post, but for the most part he tried to keep the effects as organic as possible; too many digital manipulations can detract from the story. He also used Vaseline on the lens, played with shutter degree and camera speed, and even used a hand cranked camera for the ending scene. One particularly visually interesting scene was the sewing up of Jean-Do’s right eye. The audience is still seeing everything through Jean-Do’s POV, and this look was achieved by putting prosthetic flesh over the lens, and actually sewing it up. It is a very claustrophobic and uncomfortable experience; seeing the doctor and his blinding flashlight through the closing slit, all the while hearing Jean-Do’s thoughts, his gasps and pleads against the action. Along with the camera, lighting and color affect emotion by helping to establish a mood. They also help differentiate between reality and Jean-Do’s thoughts and memories. The hospital room is always bathed in natural, soft light. The story is not meant to depress and the lighting reflects that; though when there is a particularly emotional scene, such as the phone conversation with his father, high-contrast lighting is used to add to the drama and intensity of the scene. The colors in his reality are a bit de-saturated, while they are warmer and more vivid in his imagination sequences. His imagination and memories give him hope: “Two things aren’t paralyzed, my imagination and my memory.” They represent the butterfly, his escape from reality- the diving bell. The colors and lighting help depict these metaphors.

Along with the camera and editing techniques, other techniques were used to help the acting feel as natural as possible to help engage the viewer. With Jean-Do’s POV shots the actors spoke into the camera, which is already difficult because actors are trained not to look at the camera, but they perform admirably. Mathieu Amalric (Jean-do) was in a sound booth during the filming of these scenes. He watched on a monitor the action happening and responded accordingly by ad-libbing. Mathieu Amalric also gives a great performance in the third person POV shots. Though there is no movement on his part, it is difficult to keep still while conveying all emotion through his one eye. The heart wrenching scene where his father calls him really exemplifies this, and he is effective at evoking emotion (along with the great performance by Max von Sydow, who plays his father).
            This film depicts the strength of the human mind and spirit. Jean-Dominique Bauby is trapped in his own body, the diving bell, and is able to find hope through his imagination and memory, the butterfly.  Through beautiful images, unique camera perspective and editing, and great performances this film engages the audience emotionally, intellectually, and visually.