Commentary on the Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
Finally got around to watching 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly' (thanks Kim!). As I twittered, I was first struck by the sound design. The protagonist, Jean-Do, is completely paralyzed and communicates only through the blinking of one eye. As such, Jean-Do's internal monologue is heard only by him and us. In surround sound, his voice comes out of the rear surrounds, while everyone else's voice is heard upfront. It does an incredible job, along with the (really original) first person cinematography, of putting you right into the locked-in mind.
But there is another reason I wanted to write this post. This is the true story of a French man who lived this tale in a French hospital. This is his story, told, blinked out, letter by letter. And thankfully, this story was acted by French actors, in French, set in France. It didn't have to be so: The director was American, the screenwriter was British. Fortunately, Schnabel, the director, knew that this story needed to be told authentically. How many movies, without naming names, reject this kind of authenticity?
Schnabel, the painter-turned-director, in his traditional bed-time wear.
