The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Review

Foreign language films are usually an interesting beast. There is always one that is being talked about for a Best Picture nomination but rarely do they get nominated. In fact, only two that I can think of have been nominated recently (I am not counting Canada or England): Life is Beautiful and Couching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This year's possibility is The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, an inspiring true story about Jean-Dominique Bauby the editor of Elle magazine in France.
Bauby contracts "locked-in" syndrome which has him completely paralyzed except one eye. The film shows much of the viewpoint from Bauby's eye which is a unique and interesting way to see a film. While this is a very effective and powerful way to do things, it can also be slightly nauseating. The other part is from Bauby's imagination which are more normal segments in which you learn some background of Bauby's life.
I very much enjoyed this film, it was very beautiful, refreshing and inspiring. I found most performances to be quite good, but none really all that stand-out. The exception being Max Von Sydow, who as Bauby's father was exceptional. I do not see this film being nominated for Best Picture, but it has a great chance at winning the Best Foreign Language film Oscar. The film is very good, but can be nauseating and repetitive. While many will say that the audience needs to get over the nauseating feeling to enjoy the unique imagery, I would say that while I agree with this, it is still less enjoyable to watch because of this feeling and that needs to be taken into account. I recommend this film to anyone who is looking to be inspired and see something very unique. (SCORE: 9.2)