The Diving Bell and the Butterfly didn't come anywhere near where I live when it was in limited release, so I had to wait for Netflix. (Wow, I think my blog is basically free advertising for them since I love it so much.. that and TiVo! Speaking of which, I need to buy a Roku Netflix Player asap.) I'm trying to remember which other foreign films I saw from last year... I'm pretty sure none of them compared with this one.

The story is a true one, about Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric), who was editor of Elle magazine until he had a massive stroke that left him with locked-in syndrome (complete paralysis, unable to speak). The movie begins with his point of view, waking up in a hospital after his stroke. The camera blurs often and is set at his eye-level, and the audience is able to hear his thoughts as he discovers what has happened to him. It's very effective (actually to the point where I was feeling a little bit queasy with the camera work and effects at first), and really gives the audience the experience of a person with locked-in syndrome.

Eventually, Bauby is able to communicate because he is able to blink his one working eye to answer yes or no. And after that, his therapist discovers that he can spell out words as she reads the alphabet to him and he blinks when she reads the correct letter. It's a slow process, but he actually writes a book using this method. As he goes through this process, he also has to deal with the changed relationships in his life, as a career man, a boyfriend, a father, and a son. Particularly touching is his relationship with his father, who is played beautifully by Max Von Sydow. There are many scenes flashing back to Bauby's former life, and eventually there is a flashback to the actual scene of his stroke. The way the movie weaves back and forth between his personal thoughts, his experiences, and his past is very fluid and very intimate.

The direction and acting in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly are superb, and I've never seen anything quite like it. It's a wonderful film and I would definitely recommend it to the mature audience.

At the dinner table last night, Aidan asked, "Daddy, is your finger ok that you drilled the way other day?"

I should explain that a few days ago I was installing new cabinet locks on every cabinet in the house so that Catie does not accidentally ingest cleaners), and as I was drilling into a cabinet door, the screw slipped and I drilled my finger. Nothig bled, it just hurt.

I told him that it felt much better. He said he wanted to pray for me.

He bowed his head, closed his eyes, folded his hands and said, "Dear Jesus, thank you that my Daddy's finger feels better. Amen."

I have never been part of a better prayer.

Sometimes when work is a little slow, I'll watch a movie or two using the instant viewing feature on Netflix while I go through the work motions. I don't think I can give as good a review for movies that I do this with, so I usually watch movies that seem like they'll be easy to follow. I definitely chose right this time. Kramer vs. Kramer is the simple story of a man (Dustin Hoffman) who has to change his ways and become an attentive dad when his wife (Meryl Streep) suddenly leaves him and leaves their son with him as well. Ted faces a lot of trouble when his fathering interferes with his career, and fathering is a big challenge for him since his wife had always taken care of their son. But just as soon as he gets the hang of things, his wife comes back and takes him to court for custody of the kid.

I had avoided watching this movie for a long time because the title sounded more like it was a serious courtroom drama of two parents battling it out for their kid. Instead, the custody battle doesn't take place until about the last third of the movie. The focus is more on Ted's development and his relationship with his son, which plays out wonderfully. I liked the dynamics caused by the twist of forcing a dad to be the sole caretaker of a child. It's obvious at the beginning that Ted has no idea what he's doing and doesn't necessarily have a great bond with his son, but when the boy is injured at the playground, one can see how much his love has grown over the time he has had alone with his son.

Meryl Streep was in the movie for a much shorter time than I expected, but enough to win the best supporting actress Oscar. Hoffman also won his own Oscar, and the movie also took home best picture, best director, and best screenplay. I don't know what else was out that year, but I'm not so sure I would have given the movie that much praise, but it is really good. Hoffman and Streep tend to be actors that I don't really enjoy even though they are good at what they do, but here they both shine more than usual. The subtle screenplay is just right, although I do feel that the ending is a little bit forced. Overall, a great little picture.