Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The

Aroview: Justly celebrated adaptation of the autobiography of the late Jean-Dominique Bauby, who enjoyed the high life as editor of Elle magazine before suffering a massive stroke that left him entirely paralyzed except for the use of his left eye.

A truly remarkable story remarkably well told, painter-turned-filmmaker Julian Schnabel matches this unique and profound human tragedy with storytelling strokes that are at once audacious and delicate, and that don't yield to either self-indulgence or sentiment. Immersing the viewer in the skin of the mute, immobile protagonist for much of its running time, it's a film that demands (and deserves) not just to be seen but 'experienced'. Even dubbed 'critic-proof' in some quarters, and who are we to argue? It's a blinking masterpiece.

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