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Based on the true story of Elle magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, this daring biopic tries to bring us into the body of a man who suffers from locked-in syndrome. After suffering from a stroke, Bauby could only move one eye. His mental state was completely in tact, but his physical abilities were completely lost. He would overcome great odds with his patient nurse and assistant to blink out this biography one letter at a time.

Director Julian Schnabel (BEFORE NIGHT FALLS) makes the bold choice of filming a great deal of the early segments of the film from the point of view of Bauby. The technique wears out its welcome from time to time, but does bring the audience into the same frustration that Bauby must have felt. If a person moves out of the view of his good eye, he can’t simply shift his head to see them, and that’s how we see things. After awhile, Schnabel moves away from this style and films the drama in more traditional ways, especially in the flashbacks and fantasy scenes where we get glimpses of Bauby’s past and desires.

Bauby, brought to life in a dedicated and selfless portrayal from Mathieu Amalric (MUNICH), led a playboy lifestyle before his stroke. His elderly father (Max von Sydow, THE EXORCIST) scolds him during a visit for neglecting the mother of his children, Celine (Emmanuelle Seigner, LA VIE EN ROSE). Though it is painful for her, she stands by his side during the worst of times, overlooking his young mistress, Josephine (Marina Hands, 2007’s LADY CHATTERLEY), who can’t even drum up the courage to see him in his paralyzed state. Despite his heroic accomplishments, the story doesn’t turn Bauby from a sinner to a saint. Even from his hospital bed, he lusts over his nurses Henriette Durand (Marie-Josee Croze, THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS) and Eugénie (Emma de Caunes, THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP) and his assistant Claude (Anne Consigny).

The film was just nominated for four Academy Awards — Schnabel for Best Director, Janusz Kaminski for Best Cinematography, Juliette Welfling for Best Editing and Ronald Harwood for Best Adapted Screenplay. While I wouldn’t have chosen the film for all those categories, the film is strong enough to not make the recognition unwarranted. Schnabel’s praise mainly comes from making a bold stylistic choice and having the guts to follow it through. It’s an artistic choice that makes one think, but saps some of the emotional resonance from the production. Kaminski and Welfling deserve the nods for making the stylistic choice work. Harwood’s adaptation is also solid, capturing the complex soul of Bauby from his dry wit to his determination to work past his initial depression and find meaning from his new life.

It’s hard not to think of Alejandro Amenábar’s THE SEA INSIDE, which chronicled the life of paralyzed writer Ramon Sampedro, who spent 30 years fighting for the right to end his life. While Sampedro could not find peace in his disability, Bauby is just the opposite. THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY and THE SEA INSIDE serve as arguments against and for euthanasia, respectively.

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY is an often moving, but always thought provoking portrait of a man whose life changed over night into a completely different existence. Driven by its unique style and great performances from Amalric and von Sydow, the film stands as one of the best of 2007.