Black Butterflies
2011 · Movie · 100 min · ★ 5.6 · 68% critics
Set in apartheid-era South Africa, this biographical drama follows a gifted poet torn between political injustice, a harsh censoring father, and a restless search for love, freedom, and belonging. As her personal life grows more turbulent, her writing becomes a defiant response to the world around her.
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Details
- Years
- 2011
- Release date
- 2011-02-06
- Language
- Dutch
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Critic score
- 68/100
- TMDB rating
- 5.6/10 (37 votes)
About
You may like this if you’re drawn to intense, emotionally messy biographical dramas about artists under pressure, especially if you liked Everyone Else or Cloud 9; Not for you if you want a fast-moving, uplifting story.
Pros: powerful central figure; poetic atmosphere; strong father conflict | Cons: slow pacing; messy relationships; uneven emotional pull
Themes
- apartheid
- woman director
Awards & recognition
- Golden Calf — Best Feature Film · 2011
Cast & crew
Carice van Houten
as Ingrid Jonker
Rutger Hauer
as Abraham Jonker
Liam Cunningham
as Jack Cope
Nicholas Pauling
as Eugene Maritz
Grant Swanby
as Jan Rabie
Graham Clarke
as Uys Krige
Damon Berry
as Pieter Venter
Jennifer Steyn
as Lucille - Lulu
- CD
Candice D'Arcy
as Anna Jonker
Leon Clingman
as Valkenberg receptionist
Directed by Paula van der Oest