It's a fascinating subject -- waking or not waking from a coma. I'd recently watched a documentary about a woman who had appeared to be comatose, but was actually very aware, although she just couldn't move or communicate. Eventually, she did come out and was able to tell her story. I found it fascinating that she was able to identify the people in her room by smell. Though, also a true story, "Diving Bell" is not about her, but rather a French writer who wakes to realize he has only the use of one eye.

The film opens strong with some very eerily real waking from a coma sequences. We've all seen directors simulate this effect before, putting the audience behind the eyes of the patient. But here, the in and out focus, in and out dark and light effects work. A lot works with this primarily first-person production, but not everything.

The most prominent element (other than the blinking eye\camera) involves caretakers speaking out the French alphabet as the patient blinks to spell his words and thoughts. This is intriguing and even dramatic at times, but it does get tedious, especially for English-speaking audiences who cannot begin to guess the words as they come out with the subtitles. Perhaps it works much better in French. Wisely, filmmakers begin to fast-forward this process - a nice effect and a relief for the viewer, but they bring back the slow spelling for certain scenes. One of which seems situated at the location where a climax should be. Perhaps that scene was chosen for its dramatic impact, but it just doesn't work. In fact, for such a real feeling and emotional movie, that scene feels contrived, soapy and unsupported by earlier scenes.

Overall, the film is engaging, even moving, and has a good message, but it's also a film that fails on the arc level to reward the patience of the viewer.

This film screened at a Laemmle Theatre.

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