Since the moment this movie ended I haven't been able to keep it out of my mind. As I neared my apartment on the way home from class last night I realized that I didn't even turn on the music in my car, which is a rarity, because the scenes kept running through my mind. What I can't seem to figure out is how a movie that most people would consider depressing left me feeling incredibly...joyful. I can actually pinpoint the exact scene that left me feeling this way. It was when Jean-Do described the never-ending possibilities of his imagination. Image after image moved across the screen showing his dreams and fantasies. It was really just a glimpse of what was really going through his mind as he sat there motionless day after day. God forbid I ever became paralyzed like Jean-Do, but I found myself almost jealous of the fact that my imagination will never be that vibrant.
This film was indeed perfect for the study of cinematography. Jean-Do's point of view throughout the film (specifically in the beginning of the film) left me feeling incredibly uncomfortable...almost claustrophobic. This was just part of the brilliance in the cinematography. Beautiful scenery and bizarre angles swept through the screen and continued to grab my attention.
As beautiful as the cinematography was, I simply cannot get over the story of the film itself. Obviously the cinematography made the story even that more moving, but Jean-Do's character and his relationships with the other characters was very much thought-provoking. Mathieu Amalric did an amazing job of somehow conveying so much emotion with a single eye. We as the audience felt closer to Jean-Do than any other characters in the film because we could hear his inner thoughts as he lied there speechless. It showed his personality was not at all affected by his condition. It made me feel like I knew him.
If I haven't made it clear yet, I think that The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was brilliant, and certainly one of the best films I've ever seen.
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I can definitely relate to the feelings of joy in regards to Jean Do's comment about his imagination. I felt somewhat convicted that a man in his position could find contentment with using his imagination. I especially loved the scene in the restaurant. It was so uninhibited and had so much gusto. I loved the way Jean Do practically draped himself across the booth to grab the oysters from the waiter. It makes you wonder how you would act; how you would appreciate the little things in life if you knew it was your last chance to do them? I think the film continually posed this question to the audience. Yet, the scenes were so vibrant rather than sentimental which was what made them so poignant.
I feel joyful after seeing this movie, too. In fact, it's very hard for me to understand people who say that it depresses them. For me, the joy may have something to do with the "butterfly" concept (i.e. power of the imagination), but, even more it's because of the love that fills this movie to overflowing. All of the people around Jean-Do love him in ways that are hard to fathom--his father, Celine, his children, the therapists, his transcriber, etc. I've seen few movies that were as centered on love as this one.
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