The Diving Bell and The Butterfly (2007)

Based On the Life of: Jean-Dominique Bauby

Starring: Mathieu Amalric

Movie Budget: $14 million  

Star Salary: $1 million

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly put a spotlight on the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, former editor-in-chief of premier fashion publication Elle magazine. Bauby suffers a stroke at age forty-three, and, while it doesn’t kill him, he becomes paralyzed. From that time on, he is only able to communicate by blinking one eye.

The movie, which was described by Empire as “a true cinematic experience,” tells the story of Bauby painstakingly dictating his memoirs. The film won a Golden Globe and was based on the actual memoirs of the real-life Jean-Dominique Bauby as he struggled to adapt to life with post-stroke “locked-in syndrome.”