Where to watch
Each link opens a search on that service. Checked 13 October 2026.
Streaming data from JustWatch
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
2007
· Movie
· 112 min
A
MEANRANK
83/100
Where it ranks
- Mean Score #256
- IMDb #346
- Rotten Tomatoes #240
- Metacritic #114
- Letterboxd #365
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics #504
+7 more
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience #316
- Metacritic Critics #124
- Metacritic Audience #260
- Douban #748
- Kinopoisk #835
- AlloCiné #1189
- Trakt #902
Every rating
76–94
out of 100
Mostly agreed
Lowest is AlloCiné on 76, highest is Rotten Tomatoes critics on 94. Critics average 93, everyone else 81.
See the most agreed on films →The editor of French Elle suffers a massive stroke that leaves him with locked-in syndrome, completely paralyzed except for his left eyelid. Trapped inside his own body, he learns to communicate by blinking and dictates a remarkable memoir, using his immense imagination to escape his physical prison.
Details
- Director
- Julian Schnabel
- Writer
- Ronald Harwood
- Based on
- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
- Released
- 23 May 2007
- Country
- France, United States
- Language
- French
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rated
- PG-13
- Budget
- $14.0M
- Box office
- $19.8M
- Awards
- 20 wins, 17 nominations
This title elsewhere
Cast
Full cast (28) →
Awards & nominations
See all 37 →7 major awards won · 20 wins from 37 nominations across 16 ceremonies
| BAFTA Awards 2007 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Ronald Harwood | Winner |
| Cannes Film Festival 2007 | Vulcan Award | Janusz Kamiński | Winner |
| Cannes Film Festival 2007 | Best Director | Julian Schnabel | Winner |
| César Awards 2007 | Best Actor | Mathieu Amalric | Winner |
| César Awards 2007 | Best Editing | Juliette Welfling | Winner |
| Golden Globe Awards 2007 | Best Non-English Language Film | Winner | |
| Golden Globe Awards 2007 | Best Director | Julian Schnabel | Winner |
| Academy Awards 2007 | Best Director | Julian Schnabel | Nominee |
Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
More like this
Beyond the numbers
All lists →
30 October 2026
Why Meryl Streep is the greatest actress of all time
The case rests on comedy, emotional precision, versatility and sustained achievement, tested against the strongest rival claims.
30 October 2026
Denzel Washington is more than an actor: a global Black cultural icon
How global visibility, artistic freedom and a commanding public presence gave his career a meaning that reaches beyond the films.
29 October 2026
Five great biopics, ranked: when a life becomes a film
Raging Bull, Lawrence of Arabia, Schindler's List, The Social Network and Oppenheimer—judged for the choices they make, and the lives they leave outside the frame.
8 October 2026
Leonardo DiCaprio's films, ranked—and the performances inside them
Twenty-one selected films, with a closer look at the acting: comic timing, self-invention, wounded authority and the effort that sometimes shows.
30 September 2026
Christian films worth watching: conscience, Scripture, prayer and their costs
Sixteen films, with different starting points for biblical storytelling, difficult questions of faith and direct devotional encouragement.
30 September 2026
The most popular film genres? What the ratings actually show
Drama leads the total, but volume, a typical film’s attention and average score tell different stories.
Just released
See all →
Coming soon
Trailer — The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
×Full cast — The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
×
37 awards — The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
×
César Awards
7 nominations, 2 won
| Best Actor | Mathieu Amalric | Winner |
| Best Editing | Juliette Welfling | Winner |
| Best Adaptation | Ronald Harwood | Nominee |
| Best Cinematography | Janusz Kamiński | Nominee |
| Best Director | Julian Schnabel | Nominee |
| Best Film | Jérôme Seydoux and Julian Schnabel | Nominee |
| Best Sound | Dominique Gaborieau | Nominee |
Cannes Film Festival
3 nominations, 2 won
| Best Director | Julian Schnabel | Winner |
| Vulcan Award | Janusz Kamiński | Winner |
| Golden Palm | Julian Schnabel | Nominee |
Golden Globe Awards
3 nominations, 2 won
| Best Director | Julian Schnabel | Winner |
| Best Non-English Language Film | Winner | |
| Best Screenplay | Ronald Harwood | Nominee |
BAFTA Awards
2 nominations, 1 won
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Ronald Harwood | Winner |
| Best Film Not in the English Language | Nominee |
Academy Awards
4 nominations
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Ronald Harwood | Nominee |
| Best Cinematography | Janusz Kamiński | Nominee |
| Best Director | Julian Schnabel | Nominee |
| Best Film Editing | Juliette Welfling | Nominee |
Directors Guild of America
1 nomination
| Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film | Julian Schnabel | Nominee |
Alliance of Women Film Journalists
6 nominations, 3 won
| Best Editing | Juliette Welfling | Winner |
| Best Foreign Film | Winner | |
| Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in 2007 | Kathleen Kennedy (Also for Persepolis ) | Winner |
| Best Director | Julian Schnabel | Nominee |
| Best Film | Nominee | |
| Best Screenplay, Adapted | Ronald Harwood | Nominee |
Boston Society of Film Critics
3 nominations, 3 won
| Best Cinematography | Janusz Kamiński | Winner |
| Best Director | Julian Schnabel | Winner |
| Best Foreign Language Film | Winner |
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Cinematography | Janusz Kamiński | Winner |
National Board of Review
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best International Film | Winner |
New York Film Critics Online
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Picture | Winner |
Prix Jacques Prévert du Scénario
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Adaptation | Ronald Harwood | Winner |
San Francisco Film Critics Circle
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Foreign Language Film | Winner |
Satellite Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Cinematography | Janusz Kamiński | Winner |
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Foreign Language Film | Winner |
Belgian Film Critics Association
1 nomination
| Grand Prix | Nominee |