THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (2007), dir. Julian Schnabel

Here is a movie that intrigues on multiple levels: as a latter day biopic of Jean-Dominique Bauby, one-time editor of French Elle magazine; as a first-person narrative told from the perspective of an individual who has suffered a seriously-debilitating injury; and finally, as a kind of medical case study on the rehabilitation of someone who has lost most of their physical faculties.

But either way, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” ranks among the best films of 2007, thanks to terrific performances and the directorial vision of Julian Schnabel. Screenwriter Ronald Harwood also deserves credit for adapting Bauby’s seemingly impossible-to-film memoir for the screen, and for fashioning a storytelling device effectively simulating his extraordinary condition.

In 1995, the famous, well-off, seemingly-healthy Bauby suffered a massive stroke which left his body completely paralyzed save for his left eyelid. Awakening from a coma at a hospital in Berck, France, he experiences the shock and terror of not being able to communicate with anyone. Initially, he rejects visits from his children and goes through a period of self-pity in which he requests death. But thanks to the presence of caring therapists and friends, who remind him not to let go of his humanity despite what happened, Bauby not only regains a healthy outlook on life, but composes his bestselling memoir through blinking.

Although there are plenty of movies about overcoming difficult odds, it is hard to think of one more inspiring than “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” It probably helps that Bauby’s condition is relatively easy to sympathize with. However, Schnabel also cast the right actor in the role, as Mathieu Amalric handles both the physical difficulties of playing someone afflicted with “Locked-In syndrome,” and exudes the requisite love of life as the pre-stroke Bauby.

Depth is absolutely integral to this character, as he is never supposed to be a saint, but a man whose key relationships in life – to his former wife, current lover, and father – were complicated before the injury and remain so afterward. As the friends and loved ones who must come to terms with Bauby’s condition, the European cast assembled by Schnabel does fine work, especially Emmanuelle Seigner as the woman Bauby ditched, who still loves him, but understandably, holds a grudge.

Meanwhile, Marie-Jozee Croze and Anne Alvaro play the appropriately angelic speech and physical therapists, respectively. They guide our handicapped protagonist away from darkness without being too preachy about it.

As previously stated, the memoir “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” is said to have been difficult to adapt, mainly because so much takes place from a restricted person’s point of view. Both Harwood and Schnabel devised solutions to this problem, one of which involved letting the camera simulate Bauby’s lone working eye. As a result, there are lots of jump cuts and quick edits which emulate the eye’s capacity for rapid movement.

In addition, as the movie progresses, there are lengthy flashbacks as well as segues into Bauby’s imagination. These shifts keep the story from being monotonous to the viewer as well as reflect how the character retreats into his mind.

Finally, the film should intrigue anyone who has ever been curious of how medical professionals treat speech and communication disorders. Granted, the movie takes place in France, where medicine is socialized, and one wonders if the American health care system could provide similarly great care to someone not as wealthy as Jean-Dominique Bauby. But the point is he got the help he needed, and without the doctors and clinicians involved, there may never have been “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” That would have been a tragedy.

Overall rating: **** (out of ****)