60-second cinema

8 out of 10 This is a film about a man who has a stroke and gets 'shut-up' syndrome and literally spends the rest of the film 'shut-up', a bit like being inside a diving bell, where no one can hear you, hence the reference to the butterfly in the film title. But take heart, its not a bleak as it sounds as although the film is in french and subtitled (some blatantly wrongly I may add), the film does actually convey a sense of hope as the man attempts to struggle to entertain himself with his memory's of his pre-knackered life and with his visions and dreams, some of which I have to admit to being a little disappointed in. But, being recently diagnosed with a similarly disabilitating disease, with which I struggle to move my left toe, I can relate to what he was going through. I would however probably have had more imaginative flights of fancy, probably involving lions, motorbikes and knockers and stuff. Unbelievably, during is period of 'shut-upedness',...

10 out of 10 This film is based on a book by Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffered a massive stroke rendering him "locked in", completely paralysed apart from the use of one eye and retaining all of his mental faculties. It is mainly shot from Jean- Do's perspective of the "present" interspersed with his memories of his past before his stroke and his fantasies from his internal world following it. The emotional reality of the writer's struggle in coming to terms with his condition as well as the pressure on his family and those around him results in some very moving moments within the film. The very fact that this is a true story of a man who wrote a whole book about his experience by merely blinking is a credit to the therapists that worked with him as well as a tribute to the character and determination of the man himself. All in all, this is well made and compelling film which I would watch at least another 2 times and I will definitely be reading the bo...

8 out of 10 Basing a film on the experiences of an almost completely paralysed man might sound grim, but I found it compelling. Told, remarkably, from the man's own perspective, it's an account of him coming to terms with his living nightmare, interspersed with flashbacks to his pre-stroke life. While I felt it was a very good film, its story sympathetically told, and despite some incredibly moving moments, I still felt it lacked something. Perhaps it was the almost diary-like format that gave it a bullet-pointed feel at times. Even so, some of those bullet points were every bit as touching as my personal tear-jerking benchmark ( Grave of the Fireflies ), making it a film well worth seeing. Great performances from the cast all round, too. I just thank god that Johnny Depp wasn't free to take the lead role.