This screenplay investigates the internal experience of locked-in syndrome, translating Jean-Dominique Bauby's memoir into a visual and auditory medium. Ronald Harwood adapts the original text, focusing on the technical challenge of representing a protagonist who is physically paralyzed but mentally active. The work utilizes the screenplay format to map the transition from a life of sensory abundance to one defined by the singular movement of a left eyelid.

The screenplay is regarded as a precise technical achievement that maintains the integrity of the original memoir while adapting it for the screen. It serves as a study in how to translate internal, non-linear thought processes into a structured, visual format for film production.