Locked in Laughter and Tears

a trip to the nyff 2007 : The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
(directed by Julian Schnabel)

The New York Film Festival has begun! With one weekend out of the way I have seen 3 films and been to one director's dialogue. the highlight of the weekend was without a doubt Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

The film, an experiment in form and point of view tells the story of Jean-Dominque Bauby, the editor of French Elle who had a paralyzing stroke at the age of 47, resulting in "locked in syndrome." Bauby was only able to communicate by blinking his eye but managed to write a book about his life and experience as a prisoner of his own body.


Schnabel used a swivel and tilt lens to tell much of the story through our main character's perspective. In this way people stare right into the camera and we experience what is happening just as Jean-Do did, with people out of our line of sight more often than not. About halfway through, we also begin to see things from an objective POV, just as Jean-Do begins to find his own way to live.

The film is an exhilarating roller coaster, running the emotional gamut with some scenes sparking both tears and laughter. Schnabel, a painter who occasionally makes films, creates a beautiful portrait of life out of a tale of mortality and death, somehow connecting the two opposing forces in a way that illustrates what it means to be human.

Mathieu Amalric, continues to be amazing, here in a roll that is largely dependent on his voice, eyes and ability to stay still. The women that inhabit Bauby's life are just as good, each one complimenting, along with defining him in a different way.

What makes the film amazing and an experience not to be missed is Schnabel's uncompromising approach to filmmaking. As someone who doesn't rely on filmmaking as a profession, he has a freedom and reckless spirit that allows for experimentation and for non-traditional moments. He can create based purely on artistic merit, he doesn't need to worry about whether or not he'll be able to make his next picture,. In a world of compromised visions, this is a rare thing and more than that, seems the most appropriate way for the story of Jean-Do to be told.

The film will be released stateside in December - for now check out the French trailer: