Butterfly Tongues
Miramax Films | Release Date: June 16, 2000 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
4
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
A beautiful, harrowing film of understated power and perception that affords Fernando Fernán Gómez, the Spanish cinema's great, weathered veteran, yet another of his unforgettable performances. Read full review
20
Film.comErnest Hardy
In the end, Butterfly is an infuriating film because it's so very contrived, so annoyingly phony. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Though beautifully photographed, acted and written (the three source stories are skillfully blended into a single narrative), this leisurely, bittersweet look at a child's loss of innocence ends rather abruptly and inconclusively. Read full review
80
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
The movies' time-honored old-man-and-boy theme has rarely been used to such great advantage. Read full review
90
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
Some delicately interwoven and unresolved subplots help make the young character's rite of passage wholly, disturbingly compelling. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Diverges to become something quite powerfully unnerving and guilt-ridden. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
It's a rare film that can make us look so deeply into the dark soul of the seemingly benign. Read full review
70
Mr. ShowbizCody Clark
The story is a pleasant one despite its pointed righteousness.
80
TimeRichard Corliss
A savory cocktail with a bitter twist. Read full review
70
The New York TimesDana Stevens
Delicate, quietly devastating. Read full review
88
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
A movie of unforced nobility and quiet pleasures, Butterfly works on all sorts of levels.
70
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
The film's climax was only one of several moments that left me utterly verklempt, without ever knowing that my buttons were being pushed. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
Butterfly doesn't require much knowledge of history to appreciate, but it really isn't suitable for very young audiences either.
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Outside national borders, this naive vantage point is an entry into a country's history and culture, explaining without seeming patronizing. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
The family flags palpable agony... provides the movie's only earned emotional tension. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Because the film marches so inexorably toward its conclusion, it would be unfair to hint at what happens, except to say that it provides a heartbreaking insight into the way that fear creates cowards. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
The film isn't terrible, it's just trying too hard.
88
Chicago TribuneJohn Petrakis
May be a bit sentimental for some, but I found its patient examination of how the forces of optimism can be overwhelmed by a wave of cruelty to be both moving and wise.
60
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
It's boilerplate Miramax: a sentimental import with lovingly photographed Euro locale. Read full review
100
Philadelphia InquirerDesmond Ryan
Manages the rare feat of being both bleak and deeply rewarding.
88
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
A powerful ending lends a strong emotional charge to this prettily filmed drama, but too much of the story is taken up with romantic clichés about the everyday challenges of childhood. Read full review
88
San Francisco ChronicleBob Graham
Has a saccharine quality but also offers a memorable performance by famed Spanish actor Fernando Fernan Gomez. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
An exploration of how fear and mob rule can poison even the purest of souls.
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