The movie is based on an autobiographical book by former French magazine editor, Jean-Dominique Bauby, who suffered a massive stroke that left him unable to speak or move any part of his body except his left eye.

For much of the movie the camera shows only what he sees and hears, so that we, the audience, experience his fear and sadness.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is not easy to watch, but it's an astonishing achievement for director Julian Schnabel.

When he wakes up in a hospital, Jean-Dominique can see and hear the medical people around him, but he soon realizes that he cannot move or speak to them.

Even so he quickly realizes that his brain is working normally. We, the audience, can hear his thoughts, but nobody else can.

Eventually, Jean-Dominique learns to communicate by blinking once for "yes" and twice for "no."

As his speech therapist recites letters, he blinks to choose the letter he wants, and in that way letter by letter, word by word, he "writes" his story over a period of 14 months. And he also learns to use his imagination and his memory to escape the claustrophobia of his paralysis.

There are so many powerful scenes in this movie. One is a visit from a friend who'd been a hostage for several years in Lebanon. Bauby had generously given up his seat to that friend on a plane that was hijacked. Now the man tells him that if he hangs onto what is human inside him, he will survive.

Another strong scene is a phone call from his father, played by the incomparable Max Von Sydow. Bauby spells out the words, "Don't cry," for his translator to relay to his 92-year-old Dad which of course only makes him cry harder.

We are given glimpses of Bauby's life before the stroke when he was the editor of "Elle" magazine, and of course the contrast with his present condition is stunning.

We also discover that he had left his wife and children to be with a beautiful younger woman. So there is a measure of satisfaction in seeing that he becomes a better person after the stroke.

Unfortunately, he died two days after his book was published, but now he has both his writing and this movie as his legacy.

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