The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a very powerful film that makes you feel powerless, a liberating essay that also makes you feel trapped.

The dichotomy is very present in this movie. From the colors, to the camera angles and soundtrack, it tries to convey the change in one's life.

It starts with an uncomfortable perspective of the first days after the accident. The subjective camera shots with very narrow angles are designed to make you feel trapped, uncomfortable. This is broken here and there by memories of a past life. All of these have a very different setting from the present. The soundtrack is much more lively and upbeat, the camera angles are much wider, the colors are much brighter and the palette much more contrasting. This serves to illustrate the dream life that has been shattered by the accident.

Then the film shifts a bit in the middle, looking more at the future and what life could be, instead of focusing on the past (although you do see memories throughout the film). The general hopelessness begins to be broken by some glimmers of hope: the start of a new book, some progress in recovery, reconnection with loved ones. This change is also noticeable in the filmography, where there are many more objective shots than before.

In the end, almost at the same time that we see the dream life ending, we also see the medical life ending. Some would say you cannot separate the two moments because they are the same.

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