Black Butterflies
| Black Butterflies | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Paula van der Oest |
| Produced by |
Frans van Gestel Richard Claus Arry Voorsmit Michael Auret |
| Written by | Greg Latter (script) |
| Starring |
Carice van Houten Rutger Hauer Liam Cunningham |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Language | English |
Black Butterflies is a Dutch film about the life of South-African poet Ingrid Jonker. The film was directed by Paula van der Oest and premiered in the Netherlands on February 6 before being released on March 31, 2011. Although Jonker spoke and wrote in Afrikaans and the film is a Dutch production, the film is spoken in English.
Plot
The film is a depiction of the life of Ingrid Jonker (1933–65) (played by Van Houten), an Afrikaner. Her mother has died in a mental hospital, she lives with her sister at her grandmother's. After the passing of her grandmother Ingrid and her sister come to live with their father Abraham (played by Hauer), who treats them as outsiders. Ingrid marries, and gives birth to a daughter, but the marriage does not last. It is the era of apartheid, of which her father is a strong proponent, being South Africa's Minister of Censorship. Ingrid is opposed to the apartheid regime, and has a strained relationship with her father. He opposes her relationship with author Jack Cope (played by Cunningham) and her anti-apartheid poetry, which is inciteful in his eyes. He would like to ban one of her works but doesn't, fearing a widespread riot. As Ingrid keeps opposing the regime in her poetry, their relationship becomes even more strained and he tells her he never wants to see her ever again.
Cast
- Carice van Houten as Ingrid Jonker
- Rutger Hauer as Abraham Jonker
- Liam Cunningham as Jack Cope
Reception
It holds a score of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes.
External links
- Official website (Dutch)
- Black Butterflies at the Internet Movie Database