Julian Schnabel's film adaptation of Jean-Dominique Bauby's 1997 memoir, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, was released by Miramax in 2007 and immediately won: the award for best director at Cannes (Schnabel); a BAFTA for Best Adapted Screenplay (Ronald Harwood); an Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography (Janusz Kaminski) and Best Director; and was nominated for Oscars for writing, editing (Juliette Welfling), cinematography and directing. Bauby's memoirs, adapted for the screen by Ronald Harwood, describe his life before and after the debilitating stroke. Bauby was severely impaired and was diagnosed with "locked-in syndrome" which left him completely unable to move except for his left eyelid. The film opens in a hospital room, as Bauby wakes up to see nurses and doctors surrounding him. The scene is shot from Bauby's point of view; his eye slowly opens to reveal his surroundings, initially blurry, the eyelid opening and closing several times before the people in the room come into focus. Immediately the filmmakers create the feeling of being trapped, helpless and unable to move. As viewers, we empathize with Bauby. Our gaze is his point of view. We are trapped visually, just like Bauby trapped in his own body. Feelings of helplessness are exacerbated by feelings of invasion and violation as doctors manipulate Bauby's eyelid, shine lights into his eyes, and ask him questions he can't answer because he can't communicate. verbally. Throughout this scene, the viewer can hear Bauby's thoughts, he does not understand why Doctor Cocheton does not listen to him. After the first visit, Doctor Cocheton explains to Bauby that he has been in a coma for 3 weeks, and was taken to the naval hospital of Normand... middle of paper... to communicate, to recover. And just as often Bauby succumbs to sadness and despair, realizing that he will never walk or talk again; the life he once knew and loved is gone forever. These juxtaposed emotions are represented by Bauby's description of feeling as if he were in a diving bell, slowly sinking to the bottom of the ocean, while at other times he feels that his mind is as light as a butterfly, able to recover his memories and memories of his previous life. Scenes from both are dispersed throughout the film and add to the tone and narrative. Bauby's memoir was eventually published by Knopf; The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: Memoirs of Life in Death was published in 1997, two years after Bauby's stroke, and quickly became a best-seller in France. Works CitedHarwood, Ronald, writ. The diving bell and the butterfly. Director Julian Schnabel. Miramax, 2007.