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Butterfly

Play trailer Poster for Butterfly R Released Sep 24, 1999 1h 35m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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96% Tomatometer 25 Reviews 91% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
The heartwarming story of the relationship that develops between a shy young boy and his kind teacher in 1936 Spain. The boy, Moncho, is frightened about starting school, and it is up to the gentle, compassionate Don Gregorio to set the boy's mind at ease. When the Spanish Civil War erupts on July 18, both individuals' lives are changed forever. Gomez turns in another memorable performance as the sensitive teacher.

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Butterfly

Critics Reviews

View All (25) Critics Reviews
Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly Rated: B Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Globe and Mail Rated: 3.5/4 Apr 5, 2002 Full Review Marjorie Baumgarten Austin Chronicle Rated: 3/5 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Michael Dequina TheMovieReport.com Elegant and astonishing in its powerful simplicity. Rated: 3.5/4 Jan 7, 2010 Full Review Jim Lane Sacramento News & Review Rated: 3/5 Aug 7, 2008 Full Review Peter Henne Film Journal International The real tragedy is the death of a liberal education. Jan 4, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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dave s Set in 1930s Spain during a period of political and social unrest, Butterfly is the coming-of-age story of a young boy and his relationship with his elderly school teacher, who teaches him about compassion, the natural world, and the importance of learning. It's a subtle but powerful story, demonstrating how outside influences can alter the course of how lives are lived. Filled with understated performances, gentle humor, great passion, and tremendous sadness, Butterfly is a visually stunning film with a final scene that will cut to the emotional core. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Very emotional movie, educational, great cinematography. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Loved it. Want to see it again. An amazing but tough story of how dictatorships do terrible things to a society. It needs to be re-released Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member I wonder how someone could tell that is a movie about the Spanish Civil War. That's just horrible, it's cliché and with horrible acting. The movie in overall is owful. I regret each minute I spent watching it. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Frances H Sensitive story of a little boy experiencing school for the first time while Spain heads into Civil War. He finds a great mentor In his first teacher, who gives him a love of nature, but an honorable man with principals won't get far as Spain turns from Republic to Fascism. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/04/17 Full Review Audience Member At the dawn of the second millennium, José Luis Cuerda undertakes the adaptation of two short stories from Manuel Rivas' book "¿Qué, me quieres, amor?". Despite a simple production whose sobriety always remains pleasant, the relationship between little Moncho and his old teacher is full of poetry. It is both the awakening of the boy and the wisdom of the teach that marvel us. The secondary characters represent other stories (based on Manuel Rivas' short stories) that gravitate around the main story and contribute some humour to the film as a whole. Nonetheless, José Luis Cuerda copes with the task of representing a historical drama from his country since the movie sends the public to the last years of the Spanish Republic (regime that splits the population), just before the beginning of the Civil War. The historical and political features accentuate the authenticity of the film and provide a realistic environment. In spite of the last harsh minutes, "Butterfly's tongue" is a movie that speaks about hope and whose universal message does not get old. Full review on our blog Los Indiscretos : https://losindiscretos.org/english/butterflys-tongue-1999-jose-luis-cuerda/ Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Butterfly

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis The heartwarming story of the relationship that develops between a shy young boy and his kind teacher in 1936 Spain. The boy, Moncho, is frightened about starting school, and it is up to the gentle, compassionate Don Gregorio to set the boy's mind at ease. When the Spanish Civil War erupts on July 18, both individuals' lives are changed forever. Gomez turns in another memorable performance as the sensitive teacher.
Director
José Luis Cuerda
Screenwriter
Rafael Azcona, José Luis Cuerda, Manuel Rivas
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Canal+ España, Sogotel, Los Producciones del Escorpion, TVG, Televisión Española (TVE)
Rating
R (Strong Sexual Content)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
European Spanish
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 24, 1999, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$2.1M
Runtime
1h 35m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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