Another look...The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

After watching this movie for the first time, I was deeply moved and impressed with this movie and how well the emotion that was integrated throughout this story was portrayed on screen. From the acting to the actual cinematography of the movie, the entire film was a well constructed story that caused me to strongly empathize with Jean-Do's physical and emotional/moral struggle. One aspect of this film that caught my eye was the point of view that was used for the first 20-30 minutes of the film, where Jean-Do is being told about what has happened to him and is first starting to deal with the reality of being "locked in" his body and all that entails. The point of view coming from Jean-Do's eyes, and later on just his one eye is so powerful and such a great decision for this film. It made me feel like I was trapped in Jean-Do's body with him- feeling, seeing, hearing, struggling with everything that he was. I don't think that I would have empathized or connected with him as much if the point of view had been any different. Another aspect of the film that I found important to note was the contrast in color throughout the film, paying specific attention to the scenes of the present in comparsion to the flashbacks that Jean-Do experiences. When Jean-Do is seen in the present, the colors around him- the sunlight, the hospital room, the doctors and specialists, the beach scenery- are all of a colorful variety but the tone of the color is very muted and drab. But when Jean-Do is within himself and experiencing thse flashbacks to the times before his accident, the color palette brightens. For example, when he and his wife are on vacation in Lourdes, the bright lights and colors of the city lend themselves to the nature of his lifestyle; vibrant, exciting, loud, full of life and unpredictable. I feel that this evident color change is comparable to what Jean-Do is experiencing inside himself during this time. He is faced with the feelings of depression and solitude that come along with his condition, and keeps himself sane essentially by relying on his memories and imagination. These two aspects of the cinematography in this film, along with many others, truly made me feel like I was on this journey of self-discovery and spiritual awakening with Jean-Do. I left class feeling like this was one of the most powerful and emotionally/morally insightful movies that I have ever seen, and that it will be on the top of my "Greatest Movies of All Time" list.