Locked-In Syndrome

Jean-Jacques Beineix's half-hour 1997 documentary focuses on Jean-Dominique Bauby, the ELLE magazine editor paralyzed by a stroke, who used the only part of his body over which he retained control—his left eye—to dictate a memoir. Julian Schnabel's 2007 theatrical film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly imposed a dramatic arc on Bauby's account to create a powerful, touching story of perseverance in the face of tragedy, but Beineix's true-life portrait of the hospitalized man (presented in simpler, starker terms) makes for an equally compelling viewing experience. The inaugural entry in a six-title series from Cinema Libre Studio compiling works by French filmmaker Beineix—who is primarily known in America for the feature films Diva (1982) and Betty Blue (1986)—Locked-In Syndrome also includes Beineix's short film, Mr. Michel's Dog (1977), a darkly whimsical piece about a man who pretends to have a pet to extract gifts of food from his neighbors, and Otaku (1994), a 77-minute documentary about Japanese individuals with various obsessions that prevent them from living full and happy lives. Recommended. [Note: also newly available in the Beineix collection are: Roselyne and the Lions and IP5: The Island of Pachyderms, with Mortal Transfer arriving Sept. 22, The Moon in the Gutter bowing Oct. 20, and Betty Blue: The Director's Cut slated for Nov. 17.] Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)