The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Name: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Genre: Drama, History
Released: 2007-05-23
Duration: 1 h 52 min
Rating: 7.6
Cast: Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Croze, Anne Consigny, Patrick Chesnais

2007·Movie·PG-13·112 min·★ 7.6(1,286)

DramaHistoryMore French titles

“Let your imagination set you free.”

Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor-in-chief of French fashion bible Elle magazine, has a devastating stroke at age 43. The damage to his brain stem results in locked-in syndrome, with which he is almost completely paralyzed and only able to communicate by blinking an eye. Bauby painstakingly dictates his memoir via the only means of expression left to him.

▶ Watch trailer

Where to watch The Diving Bell and the Butterfly in United States

Stream

Rent

Buy

Click a service to open The Diving Bell and the Butterfly there. Availability last verified on June 21, 2026.

Where is The Diving Bell and the Butterfly streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	Kanopy, Hoopla	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
United Kingdom	—	Amazon Video, Sky Store
Canada	Lionsgate+ Amazon Channels, Crave, CTV	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video
Germany	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Rakuten TV
France	—	Apple TV Store, Canal VOD, Orange VOD
Spain	Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads	—
Japan	U-NEXT, Cinefil Wow Plus Amazon Channel	—
South Korea	—	wavve, Google Play Movies

About The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a 2007 French-language drama and history film directed by Julian Schnabel. The cast is led by Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Croze. It has a runtime of 1h 52m. Viewers rate it 7.6/10 across 1300 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was produced by Pathé Renn Productions, France 3 Cinéma, and The Kennedy/Marshall Company and made in France and United States of America. It was released on May 23, 2007, and carries a PG-13 certification. Made on a budget of about $14 million, it went on to gross $20 million worldwide.

Director: Julian Schnabel
Writers: Ronald Harwood
Release date: May 23, 2007
Original language: French
Age rating: PG-13
Status: Released
Country: France, United States of America
Budget: $14 million
Box office: $20 million
Production: Pathé Renn Productions, France 3 Cinéma, The Kennedy/Marshall Company

#dying and death#based on novel or book#writing#female lover#editor-in-chief#psychological stress#based on true story#patient#disabled#medical drama#psychological drama

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly cast & crew

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was directed by Julian Schnabel and written by Ronald Harwood.

The cast features Mathieu Amalric as Jean-Dominique Bauby, Emmanuelle Seigner as Céline Desmoulins, Marie-Josée Croze as Henriette Durand, Anne Consigny as Claude, Patrick Chesnais as Dr. Lepage, and Niels Arestrup as Roussin.

Behind the camera, the score was composed by Paul Cantelon, cinematography is by Janusz Kamiński, and it was produced by Jon Kilik and Kathleen Kennedy.

Is The Diving Bell and the Butterfly worth watching?

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly holds an audience score of 7.6/10 from 1,286 ratings, marking it as well-reviewed drama films.

At 1h 52m, it's a standard feature-length watch.

If you enjoy drama and history, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

In United States, you can stream The Diving Bell and the Butterfly on Kanopy and Hoopla, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.