Mathieu Amalric plays Bauby (or "Jean-Do" to his friends) and he has a couple of pretty significant challenges. One being the obvious physical limitations placed on him, but also he runs the risk of being lost in Julian Schnabel's direction. Neither of these challenges seem to be a problem for Amalric.
Before I get to the meat of the performance, I think it's important to talk about the flashbacks where we see Bauby fully-functioning and healthy. Two in particular are very important to his characterization. The first being when we flashback to Bauby's trip with his girlfriend to Lourdes. Bauby clearly went on the trip expecting a sexual getaway, but his girlfriend was there to "see the Madonna and drink holy water." Amalric is excellent in this scene as he shows a very direct cynicism in Bauby, and perhaps some conflict. This is shown when he tells his girlfriend that he can't have sex with the image of the Madonna looking on. He then suggests that when they get home they should break up. Amalric is marvelous in this sequence as he shows the entire history of the relationship which has now come to it's tired end.
The other major flashback shows a very different kind of man, as Bauby goes for a drive with his son. Amalric is terrific as he shows a very real love for his son, asking him about problems at school, and just loving being a father. In this moment, Amalric shows us a man truly happy with life. This doesn't last long though, as Bauby suffers his stroke. Amalric isn't given much focus here, but he delivers showing the very real fear in Bauby's eyes.
Now comes the crux of the performance, how Amalric portrays his paralysis. The first 40 minutes of the film in particular are a challenge, as we see everything through Bauby's point of view, and only hear his thoughts through voice over. Amalric's delivery of the voice over throughout this portion of the film is quite frankly astounding as he brings us right into Bauby's mind. At first there seems to be nothing but cynicism and frustration at his situation and the fact that nobody talking to him can hear him respond. Bauby is then introduced to a speech therapist, Henriette (Marie-Josee Croze), who helps him communicate using a system of blinking his left eye in response to a letter she reads out. Amalric's delivery here is fantastic, showing how truly frustrated Bauby is at the fact that he can only respond with his eye, and can't keep up with Henriette, or his mind.
As Bauby becomes more comfortable with Henriette and the communication system, Amalric's delivery becomes less harsh as Bauby begins to think back on his life, and fantasize of better times. There's still a cynical edge at points, but Amalric counters this with his beautifully reflective delivery. This whole journey is portrayed so artfully by Amalric, entirely through voice over, which is a remarkable achievement.
After those first 40 minutes, the perspective shifts to us being able to observe Bauby for ourselves, instead of being stuck as his eyes. Amalric is remarkable in his physical portrayal of Bauby's paralysis, as he never for a moment makes any aspect of it seem forced. The way his mouth is distorted in particular is pretty exceptional, as it feels absolutely natural. One vital aspect of the role though is Bauby's use of his left eye and Amalric absolutely excels at this.
A key part of this film is Bauby's relationship with Claude (Anne Consigny), the woman he hires to take his dictation as he writes his autobiography. This relationship is beautifully handled by both actors as there is a growing respect and love between them, and their relationship ends up being very heartwarming in the end.
Another key relationship in Bauby's life is the one he has with his father (Max von Sydow, in a very brief but absolutely heartbreaking performance), a 92-year-old man who can't leave his home because he can't get down the stairs. Perhaps the best scene in the film is the scene where Bauby's father calls him at the hospital. von Sydow is amazing in the scene, but Amalric never lets himself be overshadowed. Amalric is heartbreaking as he shows in his face all the things he wants to say to his father, but is physically unable to. It also must be said that in this scene, and one brief flashback, Amalric and von Sydow absolutely show the entire history of their relationship, and it is pretty amazing to watch.
Another amazing scene comes very near the end of the film, as he's being visited by the mother of his children, Celine (Emmanuelle Seigner), and receives a phone call from his girlfriend. As Celine is the only one available, she has to dictate Bauby's responses. Amalric is excellent here as he shows the hesitation to speak with his mistress in front of the mother of his children. When Celine is asked to leave the room, Bauby is left alone with his girlfriend's voice but cannot respond. Amalric is astonishing here as he expresses so beautifully, just with the use of one eye, every thing the call means to him, even if he can't say it.
The end of the film, as Bauby gets pneumonia and hears reviews of his book, is really all about Julian Schnabel's direction, as we are once again Bauby's eyes, although this time we don't get any voice over, but it's not a problem because at this point we are so invested in Bauby's fate because Amalric has made us connect with him on such a deep level.
This is a truly amazing performance by Mathieu Amalric as he manages to not be hampered at all by the severe physical limitations of the role, nor is he overshadowed by the film's direction. He manages to carry the film by making us understand and feel every part of this man's journey, largely through just the use of his voice and one eye.
5/5
