Starring: Mathieu Amalric, Marie-Josée Croze, Max Von Sydow
Director: Julian Schnabel
Country: France
Genre: Foreign, Drama

There are very few films that successfully achieve putting the audience in the shoes of a character, especially when that character is in a set of special circumstances. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966) effectively forced upon the audience a sense of stress from dysfunctional relations unlike any other film I’ve experienced. Fire On the Plain (1959) achieved the same thing only with the consequences of war, (I’ve never felt so thirsty watching a movie before.) Diving Bell is definitely one that can be added to the short list as it utilizes a mood (set up through a mixture of camera techniques and editing) to make the audience feel as though they are trapped in this character’s “locked-in syndrome”. What’s more than just effective camera tricks, is the emotional journey the main character goes through, played  so spot-on by the amazing Mathieu Amalric. His life is the epitome of how we tend to lose track of our priorities in life and how enduring a traumatic event can help us regain perspective. Life is hardly ever black-and-white, nor is it hardly ever fair. This film does an amazing job of exploring such themes while dancing on your heart.