An absolutely brilliant, beautiful, creative masterpiece. I loved it, and do not understand at all why it only got 3 stars from the main CSM reviewer. It is a very sad movie, but incredibly life-affirming and beautiful at the same time. A great movie, don't listen to CSM on this one.
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The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 13, age appropriate for kids over 16; suggested age 15. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Subtitled drama takes paralyzed man's perspective.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 15–16
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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What Parents Need to Know
About The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Parents need to know that this subtitled French drama offers a fairly sophisticated, though repetitive, look at a single paralyzed character's point of view. The camera takes his very limited perspective (through one eye) and shows his lusty fantasies and flashbacks (which include some passionate tongue kissing). There are repeated shots of cleavage and women's bottoms, as well as both bare breasts and buttocks (and, in one non-sexual scene, male genitals). In voice-over narration, the main character talks about his lack of mobility and active imagination, including his desires for sex and, occasionally, death.
Read our full review by Cynthia Fuchs
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about how the media can adopt different perspectives to tell different kinds of stories. How does seeing things from unexpected points of view affect how you feel about characters and their stories? Have you seen any other movies that have a similar point of view to this one? Families can also discuss Bauby's efforts to communicate even when it seems impossible. How do his memories affect his present-day perspective?
Our Members Say
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
Diving Bell and the Butterfly
- I rate this title iffy for age 17 and give it
Provocative
Very moving film, but has more sex content than the official review suggests, in flashbacks of the lead characters pre-stroke life, including nude models at photo shoots and a sex scene between the man and his mistress (one which may especially disturb Catholics, as the presence in the bed room of a glowing religious icon becomes an issue). It's a fine movie, with an ultimately uplifting message, but the flashbacks are rife with behavior most parents wouldn't wish for their kids.
- I rate this title iffy for age 17 and give it
Very sad, but touching.
This is more a review of the content that I found objectionable for the rating, rather than a review of the movie itself. I read the review on here before viewing it. So, I knew that the main character would be staring at women's cleavage and bottoms. However, I was not prepared for the actual nudity. There were at least three instances of bare breasts in the movie. Two sexual, one not (a fashion shoot). Also, there was a naked frontal view of the main character, however it was not sexual as he was being bathed. I would not let a teenager watch this. However, I am pretty sensitive to nudity in movies and don't feel children should be exposed to this anymore than they have to be.
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