Butterfly

Original title: La lengua de las mariposas

1999
R
1h 36m

IMDb RATING

7.6/10

10K

YOUR RATING

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1 Video

21 Photos

Drama War

Spain, 1936. Moncho is an outcast at school but is able to form a strong bond with his outspoken teacher. When fascism arrives to Spain, his teacher is considered an enemy of the regime.Spain, 1936. Moncho is an outcast at school but is able to form a strong bond with his outspoken teacher. When fascism arrives to Spain, his teacher is considered an enemy of the regime.Spain, 1936. Moncho is an outcast at school but is able to form a strong bond with his outspoken teacher. When fascism arrives to Spain, his teacher is considered an enemy of the regime.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.6/10

10K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 6 wins & 19 nominations

Trivia
The original Spanish title of the movie is "La lengua de las mariposas" which is translated into English as "The Tongue of the Butterflies" though it could also be translated as "The Language of Butterflies" too. The right way is the first meaning, because at a point of the movie Don Gregorio talks his classroom about butterflies, explaining how they have a coiled proboscis used for sucking the flowers nectar.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Perfect Storm/Getting to Know You/Trixie/The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle/Butterfly (2000)

Soundtracks
En er mundo
Written by Juan Quintero (as Juan Quintero Muñoz) and Jesús Fernández Lorenzo

User reviews53

Review

Featured review

7/10

Sweepingly Beautiful and Poignant

This was a film that really tugged at the heart strings. I really enjoyed the building of characters and the way the lives of the village were portrayed. It was a difficult time politically, yet the simplicity of daily life and family in Galicia was the over-riding story here. The acting is second to none and Manuel Lozano was unbelievably fantastic! I mean these ridiculous "affected" children they get for American movies (i.e. the "Pepsi" girl) are so unbelievable and fake. Manuel is so realistic as Moncho. So are the other actors.

I don't necessarily agree with the way that Cuerda rushed the ending, but I certainly wouldn't want to take away any time in portraying the lives of everyone involved. Maybe he should have made it a little longer as not to rush the ending. Although I will say that one of my favorite things about foreign films is that they are so NOT "Hollywood" that you never really know what to expect. Unlike the trite, unbelievable, over-acted, high budget American films and their overpaid actors which usually just leave a bad taste when I exit from the theatre.

This is an historical piece that absolutely shames "the Patriot". It's so nice to see that a movie doesn't have to change history to show us the past and entertain us at the same time!