the diving bell and the butterfly.

Sypnonsis:

At 43, Jean-Dominique Bauby, the rakishly successful and charismatic editor in chief of French Elle was a man defined by his passion for life. On December 1995, he suffered a massive stroke and his brain stem was rendered inactive. In these few bewildering moments, his life was changed forever. After lapsing into a coma, he awoke 20 days later to find himself almost totally paralyzed except his left eye. He was mentally alert but permanently derived of movement and speech.

Refusing to accept his fate, Bauby was determined to escape the paralysis of his diving bell and free the butterflies of his dreams and imagination. The only way he could express his frustration, however, was by blinking his left eye like the fluttering butterfly. These movements and blinking a code representing letters of the alphabet became his sole means of communication. Slowly, painstakingly--words, sentences, paragraphs and finally an affecting and life-affirming memoir emerged.

I must say that I did not hold extremely high expectations of this movie. Albeit it was critically-acclaimed by the Golden Globe 2008 and Cannes Film Festival plus 4 nominations by 2008 Academy Awards. Skeptical, I was.

However, since I figured I was lavishly wasting away my life watching mindless and entertainment variety shows and dramas (lowering my IQ) instead of indulging in a little mind-boggling filmography, I decidedly picked this one up on my way to VE for some positive mind-activity.

The surprise? It is based on a TRUE story. Unbelievable.

This is how the codes look like. The speech therapist came up with this system in accordance to the frequency of use of alphabets. A person would recite the letters and Bauby would blink once when it comes to the specific letter that he intends.

Slowly...painfully, words and sentences are formed this way. From struggling not to blink uncessarily to focusing and memorizing the stories he wanted to tell in his book after his paralysis...he learns to adapt to his new life.

Hope, the doctors often assured him of. Yet, somehow he knew deep down that improvements, yes, he might make. But to recover fully from this rare disease was close to impossible.

It was painful to watch how a man, inititally alive with dreams and passion for life became trapped and locked in this body he could not move. The abrupt change literally over a second. How Bauby was rendered paralyzed was even more shocking and saddening to watch (you will only realize this towards the end of the film).

As he verbalized, the only elements alive in him was his imagination. He was encased in diving bell equipment, sinking lower and lower; heavy physically, often losing hope, trying to embark on the tough journey to learn to embrace life with love and help from outside. One of the themes that struck me most was Regret.
Regret, was not clearly spoken or shown, but hidden in little actions and and flashbacks of memory.

His "wife" or how he calls her the "mother of his children". Tinges of remorse linger in how he recalls his attitude and treatment towards her. The absence of love, yet the continual giving back from the wife. The heartache she must have felt when Ines called.

The love of his life. Ines, and the unspeakable distance between them. The eventual separation and stubborn parties on both sides to admit their unreasonable little fights that caused the break up.

The love between his father and him was depicted in two scenes that tugged at heartstrings and caused me to tear involuntarily. The love for his children and vice versa. All these were carefully shot and intricate in their emotional appeal.

Then the screen blurs up as Bauby tears in frustration...indeed how a crying individual sees the world through his/her lens.

What marvelled me the most was how the director shot the film in the perception of Bauby. The "one time blinks for yes" and "twice for no"; his waking up from the coma; the stitching up process of his invalid eye; his eye for the world around him he wanted to roam physically, but could only do so via his imagination.

The camera was as rigid as it should be when he was just recovering. Then slowly becoming more flexible, able to make slight tilts of his head to look at people and scenes. The gradual evolvement of the camera work was excellent to say the least. Realistic and captivates you to experience the world in his shoes.

He fulfilled his wants and desires through his dreams. These never came true. Moreover, his dreams often depicted his emotional states. Bad dreams to represent insecurities and loss of faith. Sensual and uplifting dreams when he felt like he was "rebirthed" into a phase he learnt to accept.

The irony; wouldn't you say? The contrasts: heavy and light, bleak versus joy, diving bell against butterfly.

It is possible to feel the extremities of emotions, as I often do. The completion of a book, the end of a life. Must things end before something else can begin? Must you lose something before you gain?

But what would I do if i were in his shoes? Could I remain so positive and strong? Would I wish for death instead?

Reminds me of the novel I read when I was in primary school. What Kathy Did and What Kathy Did Next.

I couldn't help but tear at various points of the film. Moving and poignant--my verdict.

DO watch it. It stands on the same platform as Pan's Labyrinth.