This was not an easy movie to watch. In the beginning, you feel as trapped and paralyzed and irritated as Jean-Do does. Throughout the film, though it seems like a heart-breaking story, what you feel lines up with the character's feelings, so that when he chooses to escape his body through imagination, you believe that his imagination really is a place of happiness for him. We become content with the life he's given and the view of him we're given through the film's visual and aural design. There's also a certain amount of lightness which is tied to the character and translated really well from his personality to the script and visual elements, so that despite the sadness of the story, we feel hopeful and okay, even if he doesn't heal.
Overall, this film inspires me to go after the things I want to do and makes me thankful for the body and mind I have, one that despite its imperfections, is perfectly capable of taking advantage of the opportunities that come my way. What feels disconnected in the story is how Jean-Do is not a good man - he's a poor father, a player, and seems consumed in himself and his image. It's strange because his accident doesn't change him at all. He writes a book. That's it - he doesn't become a better father, partner or person. Because of that, this is a very small story, one that is interesting when you sit down and absorb it, but that leaves you feeling empty. It's honest - it didn't change the man he was in real life for the movie. Still, you wonder why you just spent nearly 2 hours with him, when from beginning to end, he's a tool. While you watch it for the experience, I think it's important to acknowledge the fallacy of praising an egotistical, uncaring person just because he had an accident and wrote a book by blinking.
Watch it... only because it's an interesting experience.
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