Psychology in Film

Back to the directoryFind in the timeline

Theatrical poster for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Image rights: Copyrighted promotional artwork. Image source

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Directed by Julian Schnabel and written by Ronald Harwood from Jean-Dominique Bauby's autobiography, this drama follows the story of the Elle editor who suffered a 1995 stroke that left him mute and nearly completely paralyzed, and who dictated his memoir by blinking his left eye.

2007. Feature film · 112 min (Miramax; AFI lists 112 or 114 min). Chronology period: 2000–2014.

Feature filmRelease or archive checkedNeuroscienceIdentity

Directed or created by
Julian Schnabel
Country and language
France, United States · French
Content notes
Stroke Severe paralysis Hospital or care setting

Why this work matters for psychology

The premise invites questions about communication without speech, the meaning of authorship, and how a story represents a life reshaped by severe paralysis.

Psychological connections

Screen stories illustrate how psychological processes look and feel in narrative form; they are not empirical proof or clinical case studies.

  • Injury and communication

    Ask what the premise leaves open about the relationship between speech, movement, and communication after a stroke.

    Topic: Brain, consciousness and neuropsychologyBasis: Grounded in the Miramax synopsis of paralysis and eye-blink dictation; the film portrayal is not clinical evidence about stroke or its mechanisms.

  • Authorship by blinking

    Consider how dictating a memoir with a single blink reframes authorship and expression under severe constraint.

    Topic: Self, identity and dissociationBasis: Based on the inspected synopsis; framed as an interpretive question, not a claim about how such communication functions clinically.

Portrayal and accuracy limitations

  • The film adapts a memoir and uses dramatization. Its portrayal of paralysis and communication is not a clinical account or treatment guide.

Questions to watch for

  1. 1. How might someone communicate a life story with very limited movement?
  2. 2. What does the premise suggest about authorship when a narrative is dictated through another person's transcription?

In the Psy101 course

Inspected OpenStax section 3.4 (The Brain and Spinal Cord) covers introductory brain function, spinal-cord overview, neuroplasticity, and brain imaging at excerpt scope; it can frame questions about injury and plasticity but cannot evaluate this film's clinical depiction.

Textbook links show where these concepts sit in an introductory course; they do not study this screen work. See the full topics and course map.

Companion readings and work source

Readings labeled as conceptual companions or contextual references study the psychological topic rather than this screen work.

  1. [1]
    American Film Institute / Festival de Cannes. (n.d.). AFI catalog and cannes: The diving bell and the butterfly. https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/55183Checked 2026-10-23.Release or archive checkedSelected official synopsis and catalog details inspected; full work not viewed.
  2. [2]
    Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/3-4-the-brain-and-spinal-cord(OpenStax course textbook · Selected passages checked · Checked 2026-10-23).Conceptual Companion (Does Not Study This Work)Conceptual companion: does not study this work. It investigates the underlying psychological construct or textbook topic.Introductory brain structure and plasticity at excerpt scope; does not study the film or confirm its depiction.Note: Selected textbook material inspected at the stated access scope. Conceptual companion; it does not study or validate this screen work.
  3. [3]
    Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/8-1-how-memory-functions(OpenStax course textbook · Selected passages checked · Checked 2026-10-23).Conceptual Companion (Does Not Study This Work)Conceptual companion: does not study this work. It investigates the underlying psychological construct or textbook topic.Memory encoding and retrieval at excerpt scope; conceptual vocabulary only.Note: Selected textbook material inspected at the stated access scope. Conceptual companion; it does not study or validate this screen work.