The Blue Butterfly (French: Le papillon bleu) is a 2004 drama film directed by Léa Pool. A Quebec–United Kingdom co-production, it stars William Hurt, Pascale Bussières and Marc Donato. Inspired by a true story, the film centres on a terminally ill boy’s search for a rare blue morpho butterfly. It won Best Cinematography at the 2005 Jutra Awards and was screened at the 2004 Mar del Plata International Film Festival.
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Synopsis
The film follows a ten-year-old boy with terminal cancer who is fascinated by butterflies. His final wish is to find the rare blue morpho butterfly, which lives in tropical rainforests. After his mother persuades an entomologist to help, the boy sets off for the rainforest in search of the rare butterfly. During the expedition, he confronts his fears and illness.
Cast
The cast includes:
William Hurt as Alan Osborn
Pascale Bussières as Teresa Carlton
Marc Donato as Pete Carlton
Raoul Max Trujillo as Alejo
Marianella Jimenez as Yana
Gerardo Hernandez as Manolo
Steve Adams as Moderator
Silverio Morales as Diego, the shaman
Production
The film was inspired by the story of David Marenger, a Canadian boy with cancer, and Quebec entomologist Georges Brossard. A Quebec–United Kingdom co-production, the film was produced by Galafilm, Global Arts Productions and Palpable Productions. It was filmed in Montreal and Costa Rica on an estimated budget of C$12 million.
Reception
Awards
At the 2004 Giffoni Film Festival, the film was ranked third among feature films in the Free to Fly section and received the Ministry for Arts and Culture Award. The film won Best Cinematography for Pierre Mignot at the 2005 Jutra Awards.
Critical response
Variety wrote that the film lacked "fun, originality and depth". The review found the characters thinly developed and the film visually static, but praised Pierre Mignot's close-up photography of insects and small animals as "superb". Filmdienst described the film as sentimental and wrote that its treatment of the story was too superficial to work fully either as a children's film or as a social-issue drama. Filmpodium quoted Neue Zürcher Zeitung as writing that the film was convincing in its balance between external action and understated suggestion.
Festival screenings
The film was screened in the Official Section of the 2004 Mar del Plata International Film Festival.