Le Papillon bleu

This film is about a 10 year old boy with a terminal brain tumor whose last wish is to catch a blue butterfly that lives in the forests of South and Central America. He and his mother convince a begrudgely naturalist/scientist/insect collector to let them tag along with him on one of his expeditions. They stay in a small village in the jungle, where not only do they encounter all sorts of wildlife, and learn about the culture of the indigenous people, but also learn about each others weaknesses and fears and relationships develop along with a bit of magic. I saw this movie on TV with my 8 year old son, I felt it had a lot of important things to teach him about humanity and nature: wildlife, disease, relationships, other cultures, other perceptions of reality, other lifestyles. It might be a bit corny for adults to watch on their own, but I felt its message was positive and profound for younger people. I also liked its slower pace, which was not boring because of all the beautiful scenery. My recommendation is rent it for your kids.

I didn't know what to expect from this movie and the longer I watched it the more enjoyable it became. William Hurt does a wonderful job but Marc Donato steals every scene he is in. Everyone in the cast does an excellent job and bring the film to life. The Canadian director and her crew have certainly established themselves as premier movie makers. There is some very beautiful cinematography in this movie and even if it were not an excellent movie that alone would make it worthwhile The elusive Blue Butterfly becomes a symbol of hope and well as the source of problems. Right to the end of the film the director never leaves you wondering but tells the story and leaves you feeling completely satisfied. The entire family can watch this movie and each person will thoroughly enjoy it.

The Blue Butterfly tells the extraordinary story of a 10-year-old boy diagnosed as terminally ill whose dream is to catch the most beautiful butterfly on Earth the mythic and elusive Blue Morpho. His mother persuades a renowned entomologist (William Hurt) to take them on a trip to the Costa Rican rain forest to search for the butterfly leading to an adventure that will transform their lives. And so their journey begins. A journey of courage redemption and love. A magical film about a courageous young boy and a jaded man who chase a dream and whose lives are forever changed. Now fourteen years later the young boy who was given hopefully six months to live is now a young man. This magical story is true.

This is a movie based on a true story, so there is just so much one can do to dramatize it, you must count on acting, and even if William Hurt played well his role of an asocial entomologist, the other actors seemed to be there just for the money. The script also lacked a certain proof of effort, while the beautiful nature scenes seemed to be put in the movie only to make it long enough.

In conclusion I could watch it, although I desperately wanted to go to sleep on it, but it disappointed me. I have seen a lot of cancer movies and even if 95% of them were obviously made for the quick buck rather than to help cancer patients, they managed to evoke at least some positive feeling. In this movie, William Hurt is the only slightly likable character and cancer or not, nobody seems to care in the movie either.

The movie is a failure, although one cannot expect too much of dramas these days. Average.

I saw this movie when it premiered at the National Screen Institute Film Exchange in 2004, and i thought it was the best movie there. I think the DOP on that production is probably one of the best in the world. The camera effects were great, and the story itself was very inspiring. And yeah ill admit it was very slow, but if you really love watching movies and art of making them, then this movie you should see. Plus the Art director must have had is work cut out for him the set designs were very detailed, I mean the whole village it took place in was built from ground up and i think they did an awesome job. And then the sounds they put into the movie of the insects and the colors it was all so well done. I would so definitely see this movie again and again. trust me I think you would love this movie its a must see if your a movie buff. I gave the film a 9 out of 10...for greatness!!