Movie Review: Diving Bell & The Butterfly

Grade: A

We saw this movie as part of the Virginia Film Festival last weekend. It is the best movie we saw at the festival this year. It is based on the book Myla got from Uncle Bill and it is the story of editor Jean-Dominque Bauby. He was a vibrant editor of Elle magazine in France and had a massive stroke with "locked-in-syndrome." The only way he could move and communicate was with his left eye. I was unsure what to expect walking in because the film's description talked about dreamlike collages of memories and fantasies. I thought it was going to be some acid trip. However, it seemed to be faithful to the book, and the performances were outstanding. If this opens up in your town, go see it.