The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
94%RT Audience Score: 92%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 4 Oscars
68 wins & 107 nominations total
Breathtaking visuals and dynamic performances make The Diving Bell and the Butterfly a powerful biopic.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” is a movie that will make you laugh, cry, and appreciate life all at the same time. It’s a stunning and moving film that tells the story of a man whose imagination takes flight even when his body cannot follow. Director Julian Schnabel’s restraint and maturity shine through in this lovely movie, which never stoops to audience manipulation. Instead, it presents the story in a simple, heartfelt way and allows the viewer to follow their own feelings. It’s a work of art, a celebration of life and hope, and a testament to the human mind. So grab some popcorn, tissues, and get ready for a rollercoaster of emotions!
Production Company(ies)
Pathé Renn Productions, France 3 Cinéma
Distributor
Miramax Films
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Berck, Pas-de-Calais, France
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for nudity, sexual content and some language
Year of Release
2008
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 54m
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Language(s):French
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Country of origin:United States, France
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 19, 2007 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 29, 2008
Genre(s)
Biography/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Croze, Anne Consigny, Patrick Chesnais, Niels Arestrup, directed by Julian Schnabel, written by Ronald Harwood, biography, drama, PG-13, Miramax Films, Kathleen Kennedy, Jon Kilik, box office gross $6.0M, reviewed by Ben Kenigsberg, Joshua Rothkopf, Peter Bradshaw, Bob Mondello, Peter Howell, Alan Morrison, Dan DiNicola, Richard Crouse, Mike Massie, Toni Vall, Richard Propes, starring Jean-Dominique Bauby, Celine Desmoulin, Henriette Durand, Claude, Dr Lepage, Roussin, locked-in syndrome, memoir, French fashion, Elle magazine, stroke, brain stem, communication, blinking, eye, sexual content, nudity, some language, limited release, streaming, rent/buy from $2.99-$3.99
Worldwide gross: $19,780,116
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $27,246,354
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,575
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,971,249
US/Canada gross: $6,003,227
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $8,269,216
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,674
US/Canada opening weekend: $75,721
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $104,303
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,917
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Emmanuelle Seigner – Celine Desmoulin
Marie-Josée Croze – Henriette Durand
Anne Consigny – Claude
Patrick Chesnais – Dr. Lepage
Niels Arestrup – Roussin
Director(s)
Julian Schnabel
Writer(s)
Ronald Harwood
Producer(s)
Kathleen Kennedy, Jon Kilik
Film Festivals
Cannes
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 4 Oscars
68 wins & 107 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (176) | Top Critics (56) | Fresh (166) | Rotten (10)
November 18, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Ben Kenigsberg
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Nothing in director Julian Schnabel’s career so far has anticipated the sweetness, sadness, maturity and restraint of this lovely movie.
October 18, 2008 | Rating: 5/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
What’s fascinating is that it is the very restrictions the story imposes on a director that allow Schnabel to turn it into such an eerie stunner of a movie.
October 18, 2008
Bob Mondello
NPR.org
TOP CRITIC
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is one of the best movies of 2007, but I’d argue it’s also the one most in tune with what this season of goodwill and tolerance is supposed to be all about.
October 18, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/4
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
TOP CRITIC
A poignant reflection on what it means to be alive and, visually, a true cinematic experience.
February 8, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
Alan Morrison
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The movie’s overwhelming achievement is its evocation of a life and events without wallowing in any kind of pity or histrionic melodrama.
March 22, 2021
Dan DiNicola
The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)
Never stoops to audience manipulation, it simply presents the story in a simple, heartfelt way and allows the viewer to follow their own feelings rather than have the filmmaker try to tell them how they should be reacting.
January 31, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Richard Crouse
Richard Crouse
About as stunning and moving as a film can get.
November 24, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Is not only fascinating, it’s a great movie. [Full review in Spanish]
October 15, 2020 | Rating: 4.5/5
Toni Vall
Cinemanía (Spain)
About the life of one man whose imagination took flight even when his body could not follow.
September 6, 2020 | Rating: 4.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
A work of art. A celebration of life and hope. A testament to the human mind.
November 7, 2019
Debbie Lynn Elias
Behind The Lens…
Plot
Forty-three year old Elle magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby – Jean-Do to his friends – awakens not knowing where he is. He is in a Berck-sur-Mer hospital, where he has been for the past several weeks in a coma after suffering a massive stroke. Although his cognitive facilities are intact, he quickly learns that he has what is called locked-in syndrome which has resulted in him being almost completely paralyzed, including not being able to speak. One of his few functioning muscles is his left eye. His physical situation and hospitalization uncomfortably bring together the many people in his life, including: Céline Desmoulins, his ex-lover and mother of his children; Inès, his current lover; and his aged father who he calls Papinou. Among his compassionate recuperative team are his physical therapist Marie, and his speech therapist Henriette. Henriette eventually teaches him to communicate using a system where he spells out words: she reads out the letters of the alphabet in descending order of their use in the French language, and he blinks his functioning left eye when she reaches the appropriate letter. Although frustrating at start, he learns to communicate effectively but slowly using this method, so much so that with the help of Claude, a full time translator, he decides on the monumental and seemingly impossible task to keep to his pre-injury commitment of writing a book, changing its focus to life in his current state.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Mathieu Amalric delivers a fine performance as Jean-Dominique Bauby and impresses with his ability to capture the life of a paralyzed man by conveying emotions only through one eye.
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