---
title: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
year: 2007
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-diving-bell-and-the-butterfly"
fi1m_id: "the-diving-bell-and-the-butterfly"
imdb_id: "tt0401383"
tmdb_id: 2013
wikidata_id: "Q472600"
fi1m_score: 87
critics_score: 76
critics_reviews: 8
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:22.064223+00:00"
region: "CZ"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

Directed by Julian Schnabel · 1h 52m · Drama, History

## Identity

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-diving-bell-and-the-butterfly
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-diving-bell-and-the-butterfly
- **IMDb ID:** tt0401383
- **TMDB ID:** 2013
- **Wikidata ID:** Q472600
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401383/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/2013, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q472600

**Fi1m score: 87** · Critics 76 from 8 reviews

*In a sentence:* For once, a director has a good excuse for letting his camera wander

> Julian Schnabel’s film is moving, funny and sometimes frightening, and we recommend it warmly. Mathieu Amalric’s Bauby remains a complicated man throughout, even when the director gets a little too absorbed in making beautiful images.

## Synopsis

Fashion editor Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric) survives a stroke that leaves him paralysed, able to communicate only by blinking one eyelid. As those around him work to understand what he wants to say, he begins to dictate a memoir. His thoughts move through memories, fantasies and the life he can no longer physically take part in. His elderly father, played by von Sydow, is among those drawn into this changed relationship with him. Julian Schnabel directs an adaptation of Bauby’s own account, with Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Croze and Anne Consigny.

## Review

*The Diving Bell and the Butterfly* is an unusually absorbing film about a man whose means of communicating have been reduced to a blink. Julian Schnabel understands how easily that story could become an exercise in admiring courage, and gives us plenty else to think about. Jean-Dominique Bauby, played by Mathieu Amalric, remains funny, flawed and interested in the world. The film asks us to spend time with that personality, including the parts that resist easy sympathy. We recommend it warmly, with some reservations about Schnabel’s insistence on making so much of it beautiful.

Bauby is a fashion editor left paralysed after a stroke, and Janusz Kamiński’s cinematography makes his restricted view ours. The point of view denies us the freedom to look around that films usually grant without our noticing. We were frightened by how little we could see, because we kept wanting to look beyond what the frame allowed. Kamiński makes that restriction difficult to forget, even when the images are attractive. Each attempt at communication takes on an urgency that a more detached view would struggle to provide.

Amalric gives that limited view an alert, sometimes wry intelligence. Bauby’s thoughts remain busy while other people try to understand what he is saying, and the discrepancy allows humour into scenes that could have been unbearable. Ronald Harwood’s screenplay preserves enough awkwardness to keep the character from becoming an example for the rest of us. There is relief in that. The film would be much harder to take if everybody involved were determined to demonstrate how noble it was.

Von Sydow, as Bauby’s elderly father, gives the film another person whose distress deserves attention. Their scenes carry the sadness of a relationship being forced to change. Schnabel allows the father’s difficulty in reaching his son to matter alongside Bauby’s own frustrations. These passages moved us because the father remains a parent, with all the desire to help that brings, and cannot make this better.

Juliette Welfling’s editing moves between the restricted present and the memories and fantasies that occupy Bauby’s mind. The changes give the film movement without making his physical situation seem less severe. They also let Schnabel give pleasure its proper place: Bauby can still imagine, remember and find things funny. Paul Cantelon’s music belongs comfortably within that warmth, though it occasionally adds feeling where the performances have supplied enough. Amalric needs little help in making those shifts of mood readable.

Some of Schnabel’s visual flourishes are harder to defend. The light, colour and fantasy can become so insistently lovely that we begin noticing the care of the composition ahead of the person whose thoughts it represents. That is a real distraction in a film asking us to attend so closely to another person’s experience. A few images ask for more admiration than they earn. We would have welcomed less emphasis in those passages, especially when the performances are already doing the difficult work.

As a drama about severe disability, it is unusually willing to let its central character retain his faults and his appetite for life. The attention given to the people helping him also keeps the act of communication from becoming a solitary triumph. It takes patience on both sides, and Schnabel makes that patience worth watching. Give it an evening when nobody needs to talk over it.

*Fi1m score 87, published 15 September 2026.*

## Straight answers

**Is The Diving Bell and the Butterfly worth watching?**

*The Diving Bell and the Butterfly* is worth watching for anyone prepared to spend an evening inside a paralysed man's head, and we scored it 87. Mathieu Amalric keeps Jean-Dominique Bauby funny and flawed rather than saintly, and the scenes with his elderly father moved us. Our one reservation is that Julian Schnabel sometimes makes his images so lovely that we notice the composition ahead of the person.

**How long is The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and what is it rated?**

*The Diving Bell and the Butterfly* runs 1h 52m. It is a drama and history film.

**Where can I watch The Diving Bell and the Butterfly in Czechia?**

*The Diving Bell and the Butterfly* is streaming on HBO Max in Czechia. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Diving Bell and the Butterfly* contains no violence and is rated 12 in the UK, but it is a frightening film in a quieter way. We were unsettled by how little the camera lets us see, since it confines us to Bauby's restricted view after his stroke. It suits teenagers and adults with patience; younger children are likely to find it slow and distressing rather than harmful.

**How does The Diving Bell and the Butterfly compare to My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown?**

*The Diving Bell and the Butterfly* is the more inventive of the two, and [*My Left Foot*](https://film.one/film/my-left-foot-the-story-of-christy-brown) the rougher and funnier. Both refuse to make their disabled subject agreeable, but Schnabel's film puts us inside Bauby's limited sight, while Jim Sheridan tells Christy Brown's story from the outside through Daniel Day-Lewis's exact performance. Choose the former for its craft, the latter for its lack of piety.

**What should I watch after The Diving Bell and the Butterfly?**

After *The Diving Bell and the Butterfly*, try [*My Left Foot*](https://film.one/film/my-left-foot-the-story-of-christy-brown) (1989, Fi1m 85): Another unsentimental account of disability, with no obligation to make its subject agreeable. Then [*A Man Escaped*](https://film.one/film/a-man-escaped) (1956, Fi1m 90): Restricted movement makes every small sound and practical decision matter; and [*The Straight Story*](https://film.one/film/the-straight-story) (1999, Fi1m 88): Patient attention to a limited journey, with room for humour and regret.

### Reviews we read (14)

- **Empire**, Alan Morrison (90/100, inferred): The film succeeds in translating Bauby's wry inner world to the screen through a bold POV style that immerses viewers in his restricted mobility and rich mental life. Schnabel's approach highlights how Bauby's imagination overcomes his physical limitations. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/diving-bell-butterfly-review/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (90/100, inferred): Schnabel's very moving and deeply satisfying movie adapts the memoir of a fashion editor paralysed by a stroke who communicates only by blinking one eyelid. The critic singles out the emotional power of scenes involving the protagonist's elderly father, played by Max von Sydow, for particular praise. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/feb/08/worldcinema.drama)
- **Evening Standard** (80/100, inferred): Schnabel's adaptation captures an extraordinary true story of resilience, showing Bauby as flawed yet heroic through flashbacks, fantasies, and his determined communication via blinking. Strong performances and elegant cinematography convey the indomitability of the human spirit despite some emotional concessions. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/redeemed-in-the-blink-of-an-eye-7403623.html)
- **Time Out**, Jessica Winter (4/5): Julian Schnabel’s adaptation is a tender and sensuously sad film that immerses viewers in Bauby’s inner world through POV camerawork, flashbacks and expressionist flourishes. It avoids restraint in favour of voluptuous aesthetics while honouring the source memoir. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-diving-bell-and-the-butterfly)
- **Slant Magazine**, Nick Schager (2/4): The film is a textbook example of a director prizing himself over his material, with Schnabel's excessive stylistic gestures and over-the-top directorial flourishes lending superficiality. It dances around the human being at its center while lavishing attention on itself. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-diving-bell-and-the-butterfly/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan: Schnabel's rich visual style and commitment make the difficult story of locked-in syndrome compelling and moving rather than static. The director took on the project for personal reasons and delivers fluid storytelling aided by strong cinematography. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-may-23-et-diving23-story.html)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert: The film captures the heroic life force of a man with locked-in syndrome who dictates his memoir by blinking one eye. Schnabel filters everything through the protagonist's consciousness with vivid memories, fantasies, and the help of a great cinematographer to create a moving, non-inspirational portrait of resilience and human consciousness. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-diving-bell-and-the-butterfly-2007)
- **Screen Daily**: Julian Schnabel’s flawless adaptation of Jean-Dominique Bauby’s memoir is a deeply moving film that treads the line between heartbreaking and life-affirming. It creates empathy through strong performances and highlights the power of imagination amid paralysis. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/features/the-diving-bell-and-the-butterfly-le-scaphandre-et-le-papillon/4032804.article)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**: The adaptation performs a small miracle in doing justice to Bauby's courage and the patience of those around him. It boasts a fine lead performance by Mathieu Amalric and matches the broad appeal of similar films. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/diving-bell-butterfly-158396/)
- **The New Yorker**, David Denby: Schnabel delivers a gloriously unlocked cinematic experience with creative camera work and emotional depth, expanding the concise book into a sensual, funny, and heartbreaking feast. The film celebrates the rebirth of cinema and the protagonist's soul through extravagant beauty and inner life. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/12/03/high-fliers-2)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott: Schnabel turns the story of a paralyzed man's inner life into a celebration of experience and richness rather than morbidity. The film, true to its source, uses light, color, and performance to transform pity into joy through the hero's acute appreciation of the world. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/30/movies/30divi.html)
- **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (5/5): The critic calls it truly cutting-edge cinema that is daring and imaginative, quite unlike anything else that year. She singles out Schnabel's inspired direction for turning the story into a poetic voyage through memory and imagination. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-diving-bell-and-the-butterfly-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)
- **The Skinny**, Laura Smith (★★★★): Schnabel has created an astonishingly lyrical, rhapsodic and viscerally emotional portrait of a man liberated by his imagination from locked-in syndrome. The film is humane, funny and extremely moving, never indulgent or mawkish. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-diving-bell-and-the-butterfly)
- **Paste**, Amanda Petrusich (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film underwhelming, criticizing Schnabel's focus on visual composition over narrative as self-indulgent and excessive. It praises the acting and the humbling story but concludes it feels like an overwrought art piece rather than a true homage to human tenacity. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/julian-schnabel/the-diving-bell-and-the-butterfly)

## Details

- **Director:** Julian Schnabel
- **Director:** Julian Schnabel
- **Screenplay:** Ronald Harwood
- **Cinematography:** Janusz Kamiński
- **Editor:** Juliette Welfling
- **Music:** Paul Cantelon
- **Costume design:** Olivier Bériot
- **Producer:** Jon Kilik, Kathleen Kennedy
- **Cast:** Mathieu Amalric as Jean-Dominique Bauby; Emmanuelle Seigner as Céline Desmoulins; Marie-Josée Croze as Henriette Durand; Anne Consigny as Claude; Patrick Chesnais as Dr. Lepage; Niels Arestrup as Roussin; Olatz López Garmendia as Marie Lopez; Jean-Pierre Cassel as Father Lucien
- **Runtime:** 1h 52m
- **Release (Czechia):** 5 July 2007
- **Genres:** Drama, History
- **Budget:** $14 million
- **Box office:** $20 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGPhtOMOCcg

## Where to watch in Czechia

- HBO Max: streaming

*Checked 2026-09-15.*

Also available in: BG, CA, CH, CZ, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, HR, HU, IL, NO, PL, RO, RS, SE, SI, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2008: Best Cinematography (nominated); Best Director (nominated); Best Film Editing (nominated); Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *My Left Foot* (1989), Fi1m 85: Another unsentimental account of disability, with no obligation to make its subject agreeable. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/my-left-foot-the-story-of-christy-brown.md)
- *The Sea Inside* (2004): A more argumentative treatment of paralysis, autonomy and the people obliged to listen.
- *A Man Escaped* (1956), Fi1m 90: Restricted movement makes every small sound and practical decision matter. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-man-escaped.md)
- *The Straight Story* (1999), Fi1m 88: Patient attention to a limited journey, with room for humour and regret. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-straight-story.md)
- *The Father* (2020), Fi1m 89: A different condition reshapes the camera’s world and unsettles our confidence in it. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-father.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-diving-bell-and-the-butterfly