The Diving Bell and The Butterfly (2007)
Le scaphandre et le papillon

Based on the memoirs of Jean-Dominc Bauby, the editor-in-chief of the French fashion magazine Elle, this film captures Bauby’s life before and after a stroke that left him in complete paralysis for the rest of his life. After a stroke in 1995 that placed him in a coma for 20 days, he awoke only able to move and eventually communicate through one working eye. The memoir put to autobiography has been a best seller and was written by Bauby blinking an alphabetic code.

Mathieu Amalric plays the part of Bauby and captures his amazing determination to be heard. The struggles that Bauby experiences are felt as he lay motionless… sadness and humor as well as a fantastical imagination like a butterfly outside a diving bell.

Directed by Julian Schnabel

The Visitors (1993)
Les Visiteurs

What would a French Film recommendation be without a French comedy? Voila! The Visitors is a zany film involving time travel initiated by a vengeful witch sending Godefroy, a 12th century knight and his squire, Jacquouille into the twentieth century. All of this happens moments before our knight is to marry the woman of his dreams. Their only hope is to find a wizard’s descendant who can send them back into the past. Of course nothing works exactly as planned making for a fun adventure as they meet other descendants and find their castle to be a present day hotel. Watch to see if Knight Godefroy can make it back to the church on time… in the right time.

Starring:
Jean Reno as Godefroy the Knight
Christian Clavier as Jacquouille

Director:
Jean-Marie Poire