The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Jean-Do the French editor of Elle, a father of two and a man who takes in the luxuries of life, has a fatal stroke at 43. Before his stroke, Jean-Do is a quick witted play boy who never fully lives his life. He never lets himself fully love someone; he never spends quality time with his kids and never sits with his father long enough for him to finish his thoughts. To many he looks like a man who has it all, but really Jean-Do has very little. His life comes to a pivotal stop the day he had his stroke that leaves him trapped in a world that resembles a diving bell. He is left in a condition where he is confined to a bed and can only communicate through blinks. Viewers see the use of his imagination, memories and voices of the people in his new life right through the eyes of Jean-Do himself. In the last years of his life he uses the flashes of memories, which come to him as quick as butterfly wings, to dictate a book about his life. This movie is a heartbreakingly-funny-inspirational tale that leaves the audience wanting to make the best of their life, before it is too late.
Sounds in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly put great emphasis on the struggle of Jean-Do which leaves who ever watches inspired. Most of the movie is played out without music, memories being the only exception. When the viewer is experiencing Jean-Do’s life as a stroke victim the audience is able to hear the thoughts that go on in his head. There is no background music that steers away from his cries of loneliness and quick witted humor. I was riveted by his humor the whole way through the movie, every time I wanted to cry it was followed up by a time I wanted to laugh out loud. I think that this was important part of the overall movie because it made his experience real. Instead of feeling distant from Jean-Do, as if he was a person one could never relate to, the audience felt instantly attached, because his thoughts we exactly like the ones any person would have. The sound let the viewer feel what it is like to be trapped in a diving bell. The sounds let the audience hear the struggled Jean-Do had to go through to take back his life , and to write a book which left the viewer feeling inspired to take back thier own life by living it.
As like the sound, the way the movie was shot played a huge part in the experience of the film. As the movie starts the camera fades in and out as Jean-Do gains consciousness. For me, this was a powerful effect because it instantly placed viewer inside Jean-Do. The whole movie the viewer looking through his eyes and they know this because of how the camera moved. It moved as his head would so the audiences were only seeing what he saw. The Diving Bell and The Butterfly camera was very effective in placing the viewer right in the mists of his struggle and courage that left the viewer wanting to live their life the same way.
The way the movie was shot was as powerful as the characters. There were three doctors in the movie that tried to help Jean-Do overcome his ailment. The head doctor never said anything sugar coated to Jean-Do. He told him flat out in the start of the movie that his condition was rare, fatal and that he probably would not get through it. This character was important in the movie because it let the spectators know how awful his situation was. Without this character the movie would play never truly depicting of his situation. Another doctor that was there helped him move his mouth and thought everything he did was a miracle. This outlook on the situation gave the viewer hope that he would conquer his stroke. The last notable doctor established his new form of communication. She taught him how to communicate using his eyes, when he though he never would be able to converse again. She truly cared about Jean-Do which in turn made the viewer truly care about him. When she was working with him the viewer would watch for his blinks as she did. Although Jean-Do was unable to fully communicate his feelings what he did say was very powerful. For example, when a lover called him telling him she could not see him in that condition but then asked if he wanted to see her. He was not able to tell her all he wanted to tell her but he was able to say “Every single day”. Those few words made could make a person’s heart break in half. Right after he said those words I wanted to jump into the movie and give him a kiss. She taught him with so much love that it inspired who ever watched to do the same thing.
Watching The Diving Bell and the Butterfly made me want to live my life to the fullest. Jean-Do never thought he would have a stroke, so he never did the things he should have done. When he was living with the stroke he wanted to badly to do the things he never did. He was not able to be a dad to his children after he had the stroke but that was the time when he wanted to be their father the most. He was kicking himself for taking for granted the time he could have spent with them. I never want to look back on my life wishing I should have done things. A stroke, a fatal accident, or any sort of life threatening experience can happen to anyone, so we should all make the most of the time we had. This is a movie everyone should see. People today need to be inspired to live their lives instead of taking it for granted as he did. We should all learn from Jean-Do’s life trapped in a diving bell with butterfly memories and make the most of the time we have.
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