The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le papillon)
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- Trailer 1 (02:17)
- Trailer 1 (00:30)
Movie Info & Cast
Synopsis
The true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffers a stroke and has to live with an almost totally paralyzed body; only his left eye isn't paralyzed.
Cast
- Mathieu Amalric
- Emmanuelle Seigner
- Marie-Josée Croze
- Anne Consigny
- Patrick Chesnais
- Niels Arestrup
- Olatz López Garmendia
- Jean-Pierre Cassel
- Marina Hands
- Max von Sydow
Letterboxd User Reviews
4.1
90.3K
30.8K
20.9K
- May 13, 2013
TMI alert. My dad suffered from MS for the last 15 years of his life. While the onset wasn't as suddenly severe as Jean-Do's affliction, it was no less frustrating for him as time went on. To have a perfectly able mind bouncing off the walls of not-so-willing body is a…
PTAbroJul 4, 2012Why are you alive? Why do you keep going? What makes you the person you are? This film asks all these questions and it does not try to give you the answer. It gives you an answer, one based in reality and that is what makes this story so extraordinary. Without being…
DirkHMay 8, 2021The Diving Bell: trapped, uncomfortable, and in a constant loop of stress and desperation. Jean is stuck in a position where he loses touch with his surroundings, is unable to speak, and cannot move anything besides one eye. The Butterfly: a world of ambition, love,…
Sam - Feb 28, 2021
Sleep paralysis is a frightening situation everyone has experienced at least once in their life. The feeling of being conscious yet immobile at the same time is nothing short of fear-inducing, but at least it doesn’t last long–it may persist for a minute or two, but the…
allain♡Sep 5, 2014"I decided to stop pitying myself. Other than my eye, two things aren't paralyzed, my imagination and my memory." Julian Schnabel's French film, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, is a powerful and emotional film about a man suffering from locked-in syndrome due to a…
Esteban GonzalezAug 9, 2020The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a beautiful movie, and in fact a beautiful consideration of the human experience. It finds an elegant and natural way to discuss disability, by focusing on what can be achieved and not what can't. Imagination and wit is not limited by…
Darren Carver-Balsiger - Jan 28, 2026
How strange. I remember that in my review of Magnolia, one of the terms I used to refer to its protagonists’ mental state was “existential claustrophobia.” After watching The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, that expression sounds almost obscene. I mean, what should I call…
RizkiSep 1, 2020- hey man. we wanna cast you - whatever dude, I'm in. what's the role? - you're a paralyzed person who can only blink - seems so boring man... - yeah but you get to kiss ummmm... three hot chicks in your flashbacks and imagination - now you're talking!!
DrStrange110Aug 4, 2024“Words can’t express the grief that engulfs me.”My god I just sobbed for two hours straight. Reminds me so much of the feeling I got when I used to watch Abbott Meader shorts over and over and haven’t quite felt that way since, until now.
Flynn
Queue Community Reviews
88%
Community 2,229
Top Reviews
- Noah March lovedThe Diving Bell and the Butterfly
🫎🫎🫎🫎1/2 My fifth film for my film narrative class. This was absolute nightmare fuel. No wonder this won best directing in the 2008 Cannes film festival. Being through the perspective of jean-do was horrifying. I couldn’t even begin to imagine. The writing was phenomenal as well. I know the…
Joseph McSpadden lovedThe Diving Bell and the ButterflyIf you like great cinematography you’ll be obsessed with the double exposures, the compositions, and the inventive camera angles. What if you couldn’t say what you mean to say? Most filmmakers today might only address that with horror. Instead Schnabel offers abundant beauty.
Moonuan lovedThe Diving Bell and the Butterfly9.7/10 É como afundar no próprio corpo e achar na mente a única fuga. Schnabel filma a paralisia de forma tão imersiva que a gente sente a asfixia na pele. É um embate visceral entre carne e imaginação. Uma jornada poética e devastadora, que te esmaga de tão linda.
- Vogue Italia lovedThe Diving Bell and the Butterfly
A beautiful and harrowing true story, the human mind and body is so unique and horrifying. This film does such a phenomenal job of making the viewer feel locked within a body.
Orlando Ramone likedThe Diving Bell and the ButterflySuch a beautiful and heartbreaking true story about a man who after suffering complete paralysis after a stroke, writes his entire autobiography by blinking!
Griffin Brown likedThe Diving Bell and the Butterfly7.0/10 Very unique film style and very unique storytelling. Trying to decide if I love this movie or not, can’t tell.
- Mickerdoo is "meh" onThe Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Tragic but inspiring. Plan to read the book. Slow in parts.
Sharlot likedThe Diving Bell and the ButterflyGood movie, but I wouldn’t watch it again
Jorby lovedThe Diving Bell and the ButterflyBeautiful story
Atom Users Reviews
Metacritic
The film is a masterpiece in which “locked-in” syndrome becomes the human condition.
David Edelstein
New York Magazine (Vulture)
Schnabel’s movie, based on the calm and exquisite little book that Bauby wrote in the hospital, is a gloriously unlocked experience, with some of the freest and most creative uses of the camera and some of the most daring, cruel, and heartbreaking emotional explorations that have appeared in recent movies.
David Denby
The New Yorker
Most compelling in its attempts to re-create the experience of paralysis onscreen, gorgeously lensed pic morphs into a dreamlike collage of memories and fantasies, distancing the viewer somewhat from Bauby's consciousness even as it seeks to take one deeper.
Justin Chang
Variety
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le papillon) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as PG-13, meaning that some material may be considered inappropriate for children under 13.
How long is The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le papillon)?
The movie is 1hr 52min long.
What's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le papillon) about?
The true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffers a stroke and has to live with an almost totally paralyzed body; only his left eye isn't paralyzed.
Who's the cast of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le papillon)?
- Mathieu Amalric as Jean-Do
- Emmanuelle Seigner as Céline
- Marie-Josée Croze as Henriette Roi
- Anne Consigny as Claude
- Patrick Chesnais as Le Docteur Lepage
- Niels Arestrup as Roussin
- Olatz López Garmendia as Marie Lopez
- Jean-Pierre Cassel as Père Lucien et le Vendeur
- Marina Hands as Joséphine
- Max von Sydow as Papinou
Who's the director behind The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le papillon)?
Julian Schnabel directed The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le papillon).
Who produced The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le papillon)?
François-Xavier Decraene and Léonard Glowinski produced The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le papillon).
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