Butterfly Kiss (1995)

Must See Movie...

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

English screenwriter, producer and director Michael Winterbottom's feature film debut which was written by English author and screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce, premiered In competition at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival in 1995, was shot on locations in England and is a UK production which was produced by British producer Julie Baines. It tells the story about a jovial woman in her mid-20s named Miriam who lives with her grandmother and works at a petrol station. Miriam's life is rather quiet, but the day she meets a mysterious woman named Eunice who shows up out of nowhere looking for a woman named Judith and trying to remember a song, she experiences love at first sight.Distinctly and finely directed by UK filmmaker Michael Winterbottom, this finely tuned fictional tale which is narrated by Saskia Reeves and from the two main characters viewpoints, draws an unorthodox and instantly intriguing portrayal of a rare lesbian relationship between two contrary women. While notable for it's naturalistic milieu depictions, sterling cinematography by Northern Irish cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, distinct dialog, chemistry between the actresses and excellent use of music and colors, this character-driven indie neo-noir from the mid-1990s about entwined personalities and the distinction between good and evil contains a great score by English composer John Harle.This darkly humorous, charming, atmospheric and somewhat enigmatic psychological thriller-drama which is set during a summer in Northern England and which becomes a voyage where a love-struck woman's altruistic intentions leads her into the aimless path of a schizophrenic serial killer who is completely out of touch with her spirituality, is impelled and reinforced by it's cogent flash forward narrative structure, substantial character development, existentialistic undertones and the extraordinary acting performances by American-Canadian actress Amanda Plummer and English actress Saskia Reeves. A lyrical road-movie, heartrending love-story and commendable directorial debut.

Two lesbians, one totally insane with the whole spectrum of mental illness, and the other a borderline idiot, drive around England aimlessly, while helping decrease its population. But their journey isn't the only pointless and aimless thing - the film is, too. The movie has absolutely no point to make; it's just there. Plummer and Reeves are good, and the film is solidly directed, but the underlying basis of their characters isn't revealed, and this especially goes for the Plummer the killer. We are not given any background information about Plummer, not even when her spree-killing started. The fact that she is insane just isn't enough; a little background, or at least hints and clues to it, would have helped. The makers of the film clearly don't know what this is about (or haven't succeeded in making it clear at all). Plummer's character is highly unrealistic and totally unrepresentative of female mass murderers; when operating alone, female serial killers usually use poison, or a less violent method to kill (a gun, for example). It is highly unusual, to say the least, that they roam the roads smashing people's heads in. The fact that Plummer is extremely sloppy about when and where she kills - and the fact that she wants to be caught - would suggest that it's highly unrealistic that she wasn't caught earlier (this is Western Europe, after all, not the Ukraine). The film is definitely not for children, or people easily shocked; the "body metal" that Plummer wears is unlike anything I have come across in a film before. The soundtrack, occasionally even cheerful, is usually totally inappropriate; it often serves as an instrument to sentimentalize the lesbian relationship. However, no sane viewer is going to be the slightest bit touched about their "romance" - Plummer is killing innocent people, frchrissakes! Who cares about her "love-life"?! But considering that Michael Winterbottom directed it - it's superb. Just check out his other "masterpieces", like "9 Songs"...

Seeing that so many people have gone out of their way to denigrate Butterfly Kiss, I feel constrained to weigh in on its virtues. It is not a Hollywood entertainment, nor is it a Jane Austen prestige picture, or a politely naughty comedy for the art house crowd. It's a movie for people who are willing to risk a certain amount of emotional discomfort to gain the benefits of experiencing the world through unaccustomed perspectives. It's for those who want to learn about human beings on the margins of society, the forgotten, the pathological, the lost.It's the sort of film that can't be appreciated without a high tolerance for unsympathetic protagonists, unreliable narrators, unintelligible motivations, and morally ambiguous conclusions. In short, Butterfly Kiss demands an intellectual curiosity and nimbleness of mind that's not always characteristic of American audiences.This is not to argue that it's necessarily a good film, or successful at achieving its ambitions. More than once, while watching it, I found myself wondering how much relation to real people this story might actually have. Unlike Monster, with which it has obvious parallels, Butterfly Kiss doesn't appear to be based on factual events.The film's ability to cause me to "suspend disbelief" suffered from a touch too much Grand Guignol excess and, perhaps more damningly, writerly artifice. (For no clear reason, the protagonists are named "You"(Eunice) & "Me" (Miriam).) But the characters kept on surprising me, which indicates, if nothing else, that there's something vital and alive about this story. By the end, I was moved to pity for these two deeply damaged women, and, perhaps more importantly, I was moved to compassion.For that, I'd sit through an unpleasant movie any day of the week.

WHAT CAN I WRITE NOW ABOUT THIS PERFECT FILM?CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CREATORS FIRST OF ALL!Really i wonder if any person that saw this film could possibly say that he didn't like it! it's an amazing film, full of love, despair, tenderness and finally salvation.the end of the film is the most "strong" ,affecting, redemptory, gorgeous ending of all times!a great movie!!!! with great music also!.......... there's no need to argue anymore.......