More info on the film
- http://www.thedivingbellandthebutterfly-themovie.com/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diving_Bell_and_the_Butterfly
- http://www.salon.com/2008/02/23/diving_bell_2/
What questions do you have? What was your favorite scene? What "lessons" do you take away from the film? What surprised you? What made you sad? How can you connect this film to something we've read, or some concept we've discussed? Make an original post, then come back and comment on 1 of your classmates' posts.
I have watched a few French speaking movies and this is definitely the best that I have watched so far. I have never felt so much compassion for a movie as I did this one. This movie made me realize how lucky I am to be able to control my body and express myself the way that I can. The part that got me the most was when Jean-Dominique had a fly land on his nose and couldn’t get it off. It is almost a reflex that when something lands on your face that you swipe it away, however being paralyzed doesn’t give you that ability. What made me sad the most was when Jean-Dominique saw his reflection in the window that he was looking at. He screams to himself “No, no, no, no” with fright, because he doesn’t look anything like what he did before the accident. The lesson that I take away from this film is to never give up hope. Even though Jean-Dominique was paralyzed, he was still able to write a book by blinking an eye to each letter of a word he wanted to put together.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely made me reflect and see how many things we take for granted. Usually when people say "don't take things for granted," they mean things like indoor plumbing and food, but this movie made me really think about how blessed we are to have even more simple things, like being able to scratch and itch and change the channel on TV.
DeleteThis film always opens my eyes, and makes me appreciate everything that God has given to me. Ceanna those are definitely is some of my favorite scenes. This movie always make me realize how blessed i am
DeleteMy favorite scene in the movie is when Henriette, his speech therapist told him that he shouldn't say that he wants to die. So after that moment, Jean-Do cooperates and tries to speak and move and get better. The lesson I learned from this movie was that you can't let something negative take over your life. Nothing is unworkable and anything can be used to transform you life into its own greatness. I was surprised that they were taking him to the beach all that time, seeing as his immune system wasn't at full health after a stroke. I feel it's the reason he got pneumonia. I enjoyed that the movie was in French because it made me focus more on what was going on because if not then I wouldn't know what the subtitles said, or I may have missed something important to the story line.
ReplyDeleteI also really liked the subtitles. These days, when I watch a movie or show, sometimes I get distracted on my phone and miss something. It being in French made it easier to pay attention to because you had to constantly read the subtitles. I think I paid more attention to this movie that I have to any movie or show in a long time!
DeleteI agree with you that phones are a big distraction when watching a movie. I found myself playing games on my phone, but then I realized that I missed something so I would have to go back. Unless I go to a movie theater, I really don't pay attention to movies if I can hear what is going on.
DeleteI definitely agree, that was a key scene because he was ready to give up but she wasn't going to let him. Sometimes we just need that extra push to get us going in the right direction and to get the positive attitude that we need to succeed. It's truly a remarkable movie and it makes me think that we have no excuse to give up when things get tough. Someone that can no longer move or communicate with anything but their eyes can write a book, so we have no excuse to not accomplish our own reachable goals. I also really liked that the movie was in French because I definitely agree that I paid a lot closer attention. I certainly would have missed key parts of the movie if it were in English. I really like subtitles now because I really focus in and not only hear, but see what the actors are saying to get the full effect of the movie.
DeleteI think this movie really helped me to see that even in that extremely disabled state, his life still had meaning and purpose. It's amazing how he could communicate with blinking! I think the saddest part was when his wife spoke to the woman he was cheating with on the phone. I watched this movie with my boyfriend and we had very different reactions. He was very upset and sad after it, and talked about how awful it would be to be in such a state. I thought it was uplifting because it showed how life can still have purpose even when you take away the things you think actually matter, like looks and career.
ReplyDeleteThis was an amazing film from the patient's point of view and the emotional vision one goes through. It really made me question many things that we have discussed and wrote about this semester. I would like to thank Dr. Cate for really pushing us to open our minds to new visions of life and death. I was intrigued how he found the courage to push through his death wish and found inner peace.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this film made me question the things we have done in class. Before this class I probably would have said that if I was in the condition, I would not want to stay alive and be a burden to my family, but watching this move showed me that when someone loves you enough, you are not a burden no matter what condition you are in.
DeleteThis film was very eye opening to put yourself in the life of the patient. I also agree with Megan that when someone loves you enough and values the life you are living even when you are incapable of talking and moving, our life still has a purpose. The patient wanted to write a book and that is what he did. It kept it alive and allowed him achieve his own goals.
DeleteI always love watching this film in Dr Cate' classes. I love how eye opening it is, definitely is a film that everyone should watch. I agree with Megan and saying that i would never want to give that burden to my parents but after watching the film you could see how you never could be a burden to someone who loves you so much
DeleteThis was an amazing film from the patient's point of view and the emotional vision one goes through. It really made me question many things that we have discussed and wrote about this semester. I would like to thank Dr. Cate for really pushing us to open our minds to new visions of life and death. I was intrigued how he found the courage to push through his death wish and found inner peace.
ReplyDeleteSorry looks like it didn't print this and reprinted the other one...
ReplyDeleteI cried my eyeballs out when his son saw him for the first time, I thought alot about my own children and how they would be if something happen to me and I wasn't the same person that they have always known as...I also got really mad at him when his lover called and the mother of his children had to translate for him, I couldn't believe he did that to her after she had been there for him and his lover never even came to visit him.
I totally agree!! I thought he would have ditched the lover, since she never visited, and show feelings towards the mother of his children. The fact that he put her through so much before the accident and she was still there for him was amazing. Yet he still chose the lover over her. I honestly dont know what I would have done in her situation, but I know I would be hurt and mad. I give her props for staying!
DeleteI completely agree with both of you. But what I thought was weird was that the way they portrayed everything in this movie to be pretty close to accurate all but for his women. In real life his girlfriend was actually there for him every single day and the mother of his kids only came around to bring his kids for father's day. Of course while watching the movie I was totally irritated that his love for his girlfriend, who didn't even come to see him, was still there. I'd say to heck with her. I mean he's got plenty of other women around willing to be there for him regardless of his state but he's waiting for his girlfriend? Please.
DeleteWhen I first started watching this movie from his point of view, I placed myself in his shoes. In my opinion I had thought I never wanted to live like that because I would be so miserable and sad. Then as the movie progressed, his life took a surprising turn. He learned to communicate through blinking, he gained muscle strength to move his tongue and grunt, and finally he wrote a book. When I saw all that he had done during this time of physical inability, it really made me question what decisions I make. This horrible, crippling cardio vascular accident turned into a time of reflection and success. Even after this movie I still feel as if I would not want to live like that, but I would never know until the situation became real.
ReplyDeleteThis movie really taught me a lesson of not giving up hope in the worst of situations. This man wrote a book while he was paralyzed, unable to talk, had function of one eye, and had lost his whole life. He had turned a horrifying accident into a way to succeed. That really showed me that you need hope and the willingness to work during the rough times.
I think my favorite part was when he saw his children and wife playing in the sand on fathers day. Although it was very sad, I feel like it was a honor to him to be able to see his family happy and free.
Another good moment was the first time he started grunting/signing. Everyone was so excited about this small step, which was very moving to see. I feel as if their reactions made him want to keep pushing his limits and see what he can do.
I agree that the movie showed that you shouldn't give up hope in any situation. I feel as though in the future when I am having a hard time doing something and I want to give up, I need to remember that someone else in the world may be having a harder time than I am and I need to not give up. If I feel like I am giving up hope I can go back and re-watch this movie to remind myself that someone who was in a worse situation than I am made a difference in his life because he chose to put the work in.
DeleteMegan and Ellie, I agree. This film is very inspirational and made me realize just how lucky I am. I am lucky that I have complete control over my body and can perform normal humanly functions. There are many people out there that have it so much worse than I do. Someone like Jean-Do, who has lost almost everything, and although there were times he wanted to, he never gave up.
DeleteMy favorite scene was the opening of the movie. We are viewing the world through the patients eyes and we come to realize that he cannot talk nor move his body at all. It is pretty humorous from the patients point of view because he makes jokes in his head. Finally seeing the patients face for the first time made me sad because his mind is capable of understanding and thinking but he is trapped in his own body. My biggest fear is to be paralyzed and to be trapped in my own body. I was learning about ALS in pathophysiology when I watched the film and it made me realize what is really like to live your life fully aware of everything happening around you but not being able to convey what you are wanting to say. This is just another example of living each day to the fullest and telling loved ones around you how much they mean to you. The patient in the movie was not able to apologize to his friend who he gave his plane ticket to and he regretted not getting a hold of him after being kidnapped for six years.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the patient was funny with his inner thoughts and i'm glad the movie showed more than him being depressed about his situation, and showed his personality stuck with him through the stroke. Yes he was trapped in his body, and he had a lot of health problems, but he was still the same man. I think this movie was trying to show us that even when a tragedy like this occurs to someone then we shouldn't treat them any different. Maybe they change or maybe they didn't, but that can only be learned over time.We shouldn't talk as if they can't hear us or communicate with someone in this condition only when it is convenient for us.
DeleteI really loved the cinematography, it was beautiful. I really enjoyed the beginning with the doctors faces so close up cutting in and out of view because it really gives the viewer an empathetic first hand view into Jean-Do's experience waking up from the coma. They did an excellent good job putting the viewer right in his shoes.
ReplyDeleteI was moved by his ability to write this book with only one eyelid as much as he wanted to die when he was first learning this technique with his speech therapist. It's extremely incredible but heartbreaking at the same time, I can't even imagine not being able to scratch my own face or reposition myself in bed. Personally, I don't think I could do what he did. I am completely inspired by him and am so glad for people like this in the world to inspire so much hope, but again I don't think I could do what he did. I wouldn't want anyone to have to see me like that. Of course, if I were ever actually in this man's position and spoke to all my loves the way he was able to I might have a different opinion.
I sympathize with all his regrets but it seems he was only regretful because he knew was unable to ever apologize or make anything better between certain relationships due to his condition. Which I feel is terrible that it took something so tragic to make him stop and really think about his impact on everyone.
Also, if anyone hasn't read about this film yet I strongly suggest you do. It's moving how accurate this movie was all but minor details. Oh, and wiki says he died 2 days after the publication of his book but everything else says it was actually 10 days. If that's important to anyone..
Karen, I loved the first scene also! I thought it was a really cool way to start the film. It kind of gave me a feel for what Jean-Do was experiencing and how frustrated he was. I think it is very inspiring that he was able to write a book in his condition. I do not think I could write a book and I have no major health issues. He took his horrible situation and made his life inspiring and uplifting. Writing an entire book by blinking one eye is something very few people would ever do.
DeleteAfter watching Diving Bell and The Butterfly, I have a new appreciation for my health and being in total control of my body and its movements. I think, because it is just normal, I take for granted that control. I cannot imagine being able to think something with my brain, but not being able to produce the physical response. I cannot imagine it, but I would think it would be the most frustrating thing someone could experience. Being able to eat or drink whenever I want on my own, getting up to use the bathroom without assistance, those types of things are not things that I really think about and I definitely take them for granted.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the first scene of the movie. I thought it was an interesting way to start. At first, I was a little confused. Once I understood that Jean-Dominique could not actually speak to the doctor’s but only think out the response, I started to get really frustrated. I think I was feeling Jean-Dominique’s frustration because he could answer all their questions, but he just could not talk to tell them what he was thinking. I thought it was a little funny when the two female therapists walked in and he was angry because two attractive women were in his room and he was “stuck.” I think starting with this scene and putting the audience in Jean-Dominique’s body got me invested in the film because I kind of felt his pain and frustration.
In class, when we had conversations about the definition of death and end-of-life care, I had always thought that I would not want to live if I did not have control over my own body. After watching this film, I can see that life still has meaning even if you are in that kind of state. You can still make something extraordinary out of life, like writing a book. You can still communicate, although difficult, it can be done like Jean-Dominique showed. After his stroke, Jean-Dominique had time to reflect on all of his regrets in his life and make better of them. When I first heard that we were going to watch this movie, I was not really looking forward to it, but now that I have watched it, I am very happy that I did. Even though the film is sad, it is very thought provoking and eye-opening.
I agree after watching this film that life does still have meaning even if we can't do things that we once were able to do. I was frustrated when watching Jean-Dominique as well. Often times I would just want to scream, "just spit it out!" But no one could hear him. I can not imagine living a life like that but it really makes me believe that everything happens for a reason. He said he had the perfect life before this accident and maybe that's all he needed. He has good memories to cherish and is still thankful to be alive and be around his family.
DeleteAt first, I was not looking forward to watching this movie because of it being in French and I would have to watch the subtitles, but after ten minutes into the movie I was hooked. The scene that really made me think about things was when the translator was trying to help Jean-Dominique spell words out and he spelt out that he wanted to die and she started getting very upset towards him. The translator put a lot of work and effort into helping him communicate with other people and she was very upset that he just wanted to give up and die. The major lesson that I took away from this film is to appreciate everything in your life, even the smallest things in life like being able to talk and walk and feed myself. I cannot even begin to imagine Jean-Dominique’s pain and frustration and it makes me very sad that people go through such traumatic things like these. I have learned to be very grateful for all that I have been blessed with. What surprised me the most was how cooperative he really was. Although he would get mad and irritated at times, he really did try his best and still was able to communicate with people. It surprised me how much patience he had and that made me very happy. It made me sad when he was waiting for his girlfriend to come visit him in the hospital and she never came. If you love someone, aren’t you going to be there for them through everything no matter what? I could not believe that she did not come to see him after such a horrible thing happened and you could tell how hurt he was by it as well.
ReplyDeleteThe Diving Bell and the Butterfly was a terrific movie. It really hit home for me and was extremely relevant to my life. I work at Drake Hospital with a patient named Sara. She was in a car accident and went into a coma and ultimately had a stroke. She is very similar to Jean-Dominique. She has very limited control of her arms and legs. She can only kick up her legs slightly and curl her arms in when she is in pain. She has limited control of her head as well. She can turn it slightly when in pain or other rare cases, for example, when she has a seizure. She sits in a wheel chair and she needs a headrest to keep her head up like Jean. She cannot speak, only sometimes she can make noises where it seems she is trying to say something. She uses her eyes to communicate, especially blinking, just like Jean. We have to stand in front of Sara and we ask her questions and if she blinks then we know she has said yes. She also uses her expressions and scowls when she is upset. She gasps when we talk to her as well as uses her eyes to communicate. She has a little control with her fingers and we do therapy with games to have her squeeze her two fingers together to work her muscles. She shows signs of pain by kicking up her arms and legs. Sara gets a massage once a week so that her muscles don’t get too tense from sitting in her wheelchair and bed every day. She also gets Botox in her face to help her as well. Most importantly, she has someone with her throughout the entire day. My job is to take her on walks, to talk and laugh with her and let her taste sour and hot foods along with soda. Quality of life is the most important part for someone who know longer can take care of themselves. By being with her for the short few hours each week, I get a reality check. I remember how precious life is and I tend to think about how lucky we are and I think about how we take for granted the simplest gifts that we have such as walking, talking and eating. I can honestly say I am most happy when I get to spend those few hours with Sara. We giggle and laugh over the simplest things such as a burp, a cough, a sneeze or weird sounds. Sara is truly a blessing in my life and I am so thankful to spend time with her each week. She puts a smile on my face every time I am with her. Her smile is infectious and her laugh is contagious. The time I spend with her is my favorite part of the week. She makes me so happy and appreciate how lucky we all are. I am truly blessed to be a part of her life, for she has truly made me into a better person.
ReplyDeleteAnna,
DeleteI think that the work you are doing with your patient is incredibly important because like you said, quality of life is crucial for someone that is entirely dependent. I can tell that what you are doing for her is ultimately rewarding because you are improving her quality of life and making a difference just by being there with her and spending time with her.
The movie was so intriguing because I would compare everything Jean did to Sara. It really got me thinking when I saw how he communicated with his eyes to write the book. I thought, would it be possible for Sara to do what Jean did. It just amazed me to see how he was able to communicate so well even though it was not easy. I also thought about Sara when Jean said, “My diving bell drags you down to the bottom of the ocean.” I wondered if she ever felt this way and thought so negatively of her condition. I choked up when I saw this scene because I would hope she would never feel like such a burden on her family or any of her caregivers. If she were to ever think like Jean did, I would certainly respond to her the way Claude responded to Jean-Do, “I don’t mind you dragging me to the bottom of the ocean, because you’re also my butterfly.” Sara is certainly my butterfly. She brings the best out of me and makes me realize the simple things in life are what’s most important. A laugh, a smile, a snort, anything to get our bellies rolling is far more important than anything that money has to offer us. I loved this movie and I loved how it related so much to my life with Sara. I gained a better understanding of what it must be like for her when we are their talking and laughing with her. She probably has a million thoughts going through her head. And she has a million secrets as well. One being how much we each dearly love her and want to thank her for making our lives brighter with every day we get to spend with her.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated that the point of view was the patient. It gave insights to what he was "saying" versus what appears to be happening without his input. Two interesting scenes were the men bring in the telephone and making snide remarks about Bauby. The other scene was Bauby and the nurse found a way to communicate.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Liam, I appreciated how the whole movie was based on the patients point of view because I gave a different look into the live Bauby and what he was thinking every second. I thought that is what made the movie so interesting and hooked me from the very beginning.
DeleteThis movie was so intreging, and i found a connection between this movie and my future career as a nurse. i thought of how i will have patients just like him a hope so much that i am able to care for this person with dignity and respect. Above all i hope that i keep the patients needs first, because i understand that having patients like this can be very stressful for the nurse, because the nurse can become impatient and hopeless with the care they are providing for the patient. It was sad, but also joyous to watch as he and the nurse learned to communicate with each other together, and how the nurse was soon able to interpret his meaning very quickly. The nurse knew him better than anyone it seemed, and she had never met him before his stroke. She was dedicated to his care and encouraging him to push forward. She proved successful, because as hopeless as he felt about his new life he still pushed forward and was very grateful to the nurse and the medical staff for not giving up on him. I can't image the fear he experienced being trapped in his own body. One of the worst parts was probably when people would talk about him as if he was not in the room or couldn't hear him, but that was far from the truth, but he could not talk to them to let them know he was still conscious, and he just wanted to escape for his body that help him like a prison. I think this is a movie everyone should watch so they can understand that human dignity goes beyond life and death, but also when facing someone who cannot communicate with words, but still has a lot to say. Every life needs to be respected and i think that was a big focus in this movie, and i think it has helped me learn a lot about patient dignity and rights.
ReplyDeleteThis movie was so intreging, and i found a connection between this movie and my future career as a nurse. i thought of how i will have patients just like him a hope so much that i am able to care for this person with dignity and respect. Above all i hope that i keep the patients needs first, because i understand that having patients like this can be very stressful for the nurse, because the nurse can become impatient and hopeless with the care they are providing for the patient. It was sad, but also joyous to watch as he and the nurse learned to communicate with each other together, and how the nurse was soon able to interpret his meaning very quickly. The nurse knew him better than anyone it seemed, and she had never met him before his stroke. She was dedicated to his care and encouraging him to push forward. She proved successful, because as hopeless as he felt about his new life he still pushed forward and was very grateful to the nurse and the medical staff for not giving up on him. I can't image the fear he experienced being trapped in his own body. One of the worst parts was probably when people would talk about him as if he was not in the room or couldn't hear him, but that was far from the truth, but he could not talk to them to let them know he was still conscious, and he just wanted to escape for his body that help him like a prison. I think this is a movie everyone should watch so they can understand that human dignity goes beyond life and death, but also when facing someone who cannot communicate with words, but still has a lot to say. Every life needs to be respected and i think that was a big focus in this movie, and i think it has helped me learn a lot about patient dignity and rights.
ReplyDeleteI had a few favorite parts of this movie. My first favorite part of the whole movie was that it was based in the first person view of Bauby. This made the movie even more interesting because you could see how he felt as well as what he was thinking and experiencing. Also, I really liked the scene where the nurse and Bauby were starting to communicate with one another. It made me feel happy knowing that he had someone to talk to and that he wasn't silent forever. Lastly, I enjoyed the scene where he was on the beach with his children because that made me happy knowing that he could see his children, but also sad because he couldn't actually play with them.
ReplyDeleteI find this movie to be so interesting and eye opening. I love that it is in Jean-Dominique's point of view because it helped me to understand what it is like for someone who is fully conscious and aware, but unable to speak or move. It is incredible to think that his book took over 200,000 blinks and that a word took an average of 2 minutes. I understand the necessity to remove his eye, but I believe he still has a right to refuse treatment and being able to clearly hear his thoughts, he did not want his eye removed. I love that even though he was not still with the mother of his children. I found it sad in the times that he lost hope and was hard on himself. I think many people take advantage of their ability to speak and communicate easily when something like this could happen to anyone. I think it would be absolutely terrifying to have to adjust to something such as this.
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