The Butterfly Tattoo (2009)

Too many fans seem to be blown away

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Maybe Phillip Pullman's novel is better, for my own sake and consideration of Pullman, I sincerely hope so.But this movie is not particularly great. I really wanted to like it. It has the flavor of an Indie film, and I was hoping it would be a great Indie film. But it isn't.The swirling thematic presence of Romeo and Juliet lays out a fairly straight plot line, so if You are looking for surprises, You are bound to be disappointed.All the technical elements (acting, cinematography, etc) are well within acceptable limits, it just doesn't deliver a very profound experience.I can see how some people might LOVE this film, but I think that they must be reaching and wanting to like it so much that they have convinced themselves it is really much better than it is.It isn't a BAD film, and maybe my mediocre score is simply because I wanted to like it so much more than I did. It isn't a waste of time, but nor is it one that You walk away NEEDING to talk about, or even remember for that matter!

This story was well acted, it was just not a story worth acting. The people you should be sympathetic toward end up making so many stupid choices that it's difficult to have sympathy for them. This could be called a modern day Romeo and Juliet, but there were no families involved, just two people from different walks of life that come together and fall in love, if you can call their brief time together love. Their relationship was sweet to watch come together, but you don't get involved with someone and let them know so little about you that they can't locate you and think that you have abandoned them along with other poor assumptions. The only person I felt sorry for was Barry. He seemed like a person with his heart in the right place that had turned his life around and was thankful for it. This movie dragged things out for too long and made the boy seem like a complete moron that acted before he thought anything through. Love does odd things to us, but this boy apparently lost all logic and reason over not being able to find someone. I found this movie disappointing. I did not think it was heartwarming and came away more irritated than anything else.

This movie was very well put together. The characters came across with sincerity, delivered very well by (what appear to be) new actors.I couldn't help but imagine this sort of story coming together, whether by terrible coincidence or by a nasty twist of fate - and it was truly a sad thing to envision.I found the pace to be as expected for this sort of film, with plenty of time to understand the characters, and a healthy dose of dialog-free scenes full of introspection and character growth. I also really enjoyed the fact that the director respected his audience and didn't spell things out for his viewers.Now, this is not a film I would recommend to most of my guy friends, as there is very little action and it is, after all, a love story - but I know the ladies would enjoy it thoroughly.

I enjoyed it. Certainly more than a great many studio films that made big bucks in the box office. Three out of five stars from me on Netflix (can't do fractions). I recall giving only two stars to some Oscar winners. Pros: The opening scene was beautiful, and the integration of the soundtrack was outstanding throughout. I loved, loved, loved the close-ups of the leading couple. They really tested the actors, who only rarely betrayed their inexperience. I'd buy stock in Jessica Blake if she were selling -- and not just because she's a pretty face. The costumes and design elements were excellent as well.Cons: The flashbacks. I don't know enough about movie-making to put my finger on anything in particular, but they just seemed like TV kitsch to me. I don't have a problem with using them as a plot device. I just didn't like the way these were shot/edited. They compare poorly with similar ones from another adaptation, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Mixed: The script. I'm not sure how faithful the screenplay was to the book because I haven't read it, but the dialogue was awkward sometimes (although the actors covered well for the most part) and the ending wasn't as inspired as the introduction. Show me humanity to close, not a landscape. This one reminded me of the ending to the theatrical cut of Blade Runner.