Butterfly Man

This film starts off like so many others with a couple on holiday in a remote and utterly stunning background, usually in Asia. Unlike the rest this film explores the contrast of Thailand from the picturesque beaches for relaxing and gazing as the sun sets to the other extreme. It begins slowly letting the audience be encaptured by the swaying palm trees and secluded spots and then accelerates into a excellent drama about the redemption of a man. The location shots are something to revel in as they bring out the raw beauty of Thailand.

Featuring an ex Eastenders star could have made this film go from beauty to action thriller a matter of minutes but neither the director or the actors portray any sense of improbability. The plot is closely driven to show the change that Thailand has gone under.

Everything considered this makes refreshing watching compared with the Hollywood rota changing between the very sentimental and the very action packed. With its underlying message this film shows that nothing is truly pure and that things only last for a short time.

Grade B

This is a truly amazing film, if you understand Thailand… As a frequent traveler to Thailand, I can tell you that this movie is one of a few that truly captures the 'feel of Thailand' I know a lot of people are bashing this movie, yes there is some bad acting, yes it's low budget, but it has a great feel to it.

Warning: If you think Pattaya is Thailand. If you think Thai are stupid people. If all you do is sit on the beach drink and go out at night if you are in Thailand then this film will mean nothing to you.

But if you know Thai, if you hang out with them iso farang then check out this movie. Just sit down and enjoy….. It comes highly recommended by me.

I wanted to see this movie only because it was filmed in Koh Samui, one of my favorite places. Koh Samui is a hidden gem (at least hidden to most Americans) and I would describe this movie in the same way.

Notwithstanding the negative comments of others, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a compelling film. Low budget, and a bit simplistic, but nonetheless very moving. With her broken English, Napakpapha Nakpprassite conveys a beauty and vulnerability that was extremely effective. If you want to see a movie that captures the life and the beauty but also the desperation that you can find on the islands of Thailand, skip "The Beach" and watch this instead.

Ignore the 1-star reviewers... these cretins weren't even watching closely enough to summarize the plot points correctly. True, those in search of a quick-fix nudity high will be disappointed, but this film captures a deep and transcendent sensuality that puts conventional love scenes to shame. The casting is magnificent, the dialog is smart and authentic, and the plot is rarely predictable and complemented by a steady stream of touching vignettes full of warm, genuine humanity. The major characters are authentically drawn, but each reveals a shift that will remind you that in the exotic world of "asymmetrical" tourism things are not always as they seem. If you have been to Thailand you will appreciate the palpable ambiance created by the dazzling cinematography and the lush score and sound design. Treat this movie like farang Joe's description of the Thai massage... (paraphrasing) "lie back and relax and for an hour and a half let the filmmaker pay your soul one of the biggest compliments it has ever received."

Thailand is infamous for being a sexual shangri-la for Western men, a place where even a dopey-looking Brit (like the guy in this movie) can be a "butterfly man", flitting from one pretty Thai girl to another. Nevertheless, this movie seems VERY romanticized. In fact, it borrows heavily from one of the most romantic love stories of all times, "A Farewell to Arms", even though the Far East "sex tourist" trade hardly provides the dramaticic background of the World War I setting of the famous Hemingway novel.

I've only spent a short time in Thailand myself, but nevertheless several things in this movie struck me as inaccurate or at least very highly romanticized. The Thai prostitutes may be more demure than other prostitutes, but they're probably no more likely to have the mythical "heart of gold" like the girl in this movie does. I also found it a little too convenient, given today's political climate, that the girl's vicious pimp is an American. American soldiers may have heavily subsidized the Thai sex trade during the Vietnam War, but it probably owes a lot more today to the Europeans, the Aussies, and the Japanese. And Americans certainly are not running things (the guys who were always trying to drag me off the Bangkok streets and into the go-go bars and massage parlors all pretty much seemed to be locals).

This movie is lyrical and heart-breaking like other reviewers have said, but it is also somewhat at odds with a reality that is often just seedy and depressing. See it by all means, but balance it out with something like "Lilya 4ever" which is equally lyrical and heart-breaking but also much more realistic.