Caterpillar

Play trailer

1:45

Caterpillar

Nov 2025

1h 51m

Documentary

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Endlessly struggling to feel seen, David becomes infatuated with a mysterious company's promise to transform people's lives by permanently changing the color of their eyes. After traveling to India to get the controversial procedure, he begins to question if this artificial beauty will give him the fulfillment he truly seeks.

Ben Kenigsberg

New York Times

Nov 6

Some of what Mandelup captures is the result of sharp observation, and some of it is incredible chance.

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Joe Gross

Austin Chronicle

03/20/2023

A smart, sympathetic character study with an expected style, Caterpillar examines the increasingly complicated nexus of self-esteem, marketing, body modification and technology.

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Jude Dry

IndieWire

03/13/2023

B

Caterpillar holds a cunning mirror up to technology’s effect on everyday life, where we are bombarded with images of ourselves whether we like it or not.

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Christopher Campbell

Nonfics (Substack)

Nov 7

Mandelup got lucky with the circular way this true story goes, even if it ends sort of predictably. As is her approach, Caterpillar often plays like a fiction film, but not in a way that ever feels manipulated.

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Jim Vorel

Paste Magazine

Nov 6

8.6/10

Caterpillar is a stunning piece of documentary work, both for its incredible degree of access to both its central character and his journey, and its unconventional style of presentation, which skirts the boundaries of documentary and narrative feature.

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John Fink

The Film Stage

03/23/2023

B

Rather than framing the film as a cautionary medical tale, it remains a grounded, sympathetic portrait of David and his quest for beauty.

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Georgina A

@georgi_a 1d

Gripping and engaging, sad and sobering.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Nov 13

Success in 1 hour and 51 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Liza Mandelup

Director

David Taylor

Self

Jay Van Hoy

Producer

Matthew Cherchio

Producer

Liza Mandelup

Producer

Michael Cho

Executive Producer

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Caterpillar: Trailer 1

1:45

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Synopsis

Endlessly struggling to feel seen, David becomes infatuated with a mysterious company's promise to transform people's lives by permanently changing the color of their eyes. After traveling to India to get the controversial procedure, he begins to question if this artificial beauty will give him the fulfillment he truly seeks.

Director: Liza Mandelup
Producer: Jay Van Hoy, Matthew Cherchio, Liza Mandelup
Distributor: Good Deed Entertainment
Production Co: Topic Studios, Olive Hill Media
Genre: Documentary, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 7, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 1h 51m

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