The diving bell and the butterfly is also another amazing film. Here's a little review I wrote on it. Spoiler Alert!
The director faced some very large obstacles in the making of this film, and much like the main character; has overcome them with triumph. First off, Julian Schnabel is an American filmmaker making a film in a foreign country. Not only is it hard to orchestrate the pure logistics of this, but also he had to “gain the respect” of the French filmmakers to let him make this film. All figuratively speaking of course. Julian did this in several ways. In one scene, Jean-Do is driving his convertible through the streets of Paris. The same music and style of cinematography mimic Francois Truffaut’s opening scene in 400 Blows. Julian did this to “pay his respects” to classic film noir, and show that he has studied French new wave cinematography. The second way he does this is in the shot when Jean-Do is sitting out on a platform in the ocean. This was much like some scenes from Jane Campion’s The Piano, when Ada is sitting on the piano box overlook the ocean. Again, this just shows that he respects other directors, and isn’t afraid to “borrow” a shot that looks good. His style of mainly filming through Jean’s eye gives the viewer an idea of the kind of life that Jean was forced to live. The flashbacks were also done very well, filming wise and score wise. The music was happy, upbeat and face paced much like Jean’s life before the accident.
I thought the film was half way finished when they were reading the review to his book. I’m not sure how that hour and a half passed so quickly, yet it did. I was engrossed in the story, and it evoked all sorts of emotions from me. Choking up a little bit when his father was on the phone with him saying his goodbyes, laughing when he was joking with the phone company men, and the various other emotions that he felt. My only complaint is that the movie is too short. While it was based on a true story, it could have had an alternate ending when he learned to speak and was able to make all of the amends he meant to make when he could only communicate letter for letter.
Another awesome independent film I recently saw was Margin Call. It's about Leighman Brothers in the 24 hours before the 2008 crash. Really cool stuff, and it gives you a perspective of what the bankers are going through as well. Especially with this whole JP morgan loss now. The cinematography is very well executed, and the director did a very good job making it seem like it actually was over a 24 hour period, and not just over a few weeks. There's some deep underlying tones to watch for as well, that you can connect to alot of things that were happening at the time the film took place.
And jesus christ, someone please tell me they have seen The Piano. A truly amazing film about an immigrant to new Zealand in the 1800's. One of the best shot movies I have seen. Someone please watch it and report back.
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