The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2007
Directed by Julian Schnabel
It's strange that the handicapped person/caretaker romance has become its own genre. It's usually a female caretaker and male patient (except in the very creepy film Talk to Her but I would hardly call that a romance). The only male nurse I ever had insisted that I call him "Hollywood" so uh...I can't say I have experienced anything in way of promising love interests who bring me applesauce. Not that this is a romance in the strictest sense.
The movie tells the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, an editor at Elle who suffers a massive stroke which leaves him paralyzed from the neck down, but mentally normal. He is only able to control his left eye and is able to communicate by blinking. He works with a speech therapist who reads him a list of letters, blinking his left eye when she hits upon the letter he is thinking of. He eventually decides to write a book on his experience, using his painfully slow method of dictation.
Writing is hard enough, but writing like that? I can't even imagine going through what Bauby did and still producing something beautiful. I am definitely going to have read his book. Anyway, it's a touching story and wonderfully acted.
Sorry if this was a bit rushed, but we are at 996 people! I am getting overly excited.
RATING: ****-
Interesting Facts:
Julian Schnabel learned to speak French to make this film.
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