In the Time of the Butterflies

Trailer—In the Time of the Butterflies

In the Time of the Butterflies_720p(480P)

source: In the Time of the Butterflies

This is a very good and in my opinion underrated movie. Edward James Olmos at his best as he portrays the evil Trujillo a man who like Hitler became more evil as he got more power. He was a sexual sadist with a preference for young Mulatto girls which is how we get to the story in this movie. The movie follows mainly Salma Hayek's character and her naivety until she realizes what Trujillo is really like. The Mirabal sisters' assassination at the very end is sad but at least we are not shown the gory details. One of Salma Hayeks best movies and I wish she did more like this instead of movies that exploited her looks and body. She is a very intelligent women and a good actress as this and the film Frida shows her to be.

Many good books have been written about the brutal regime of Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. Check Edwidge Danticat's "The Farming of Bones" and Mario Vargas Llosa's brutal "Feast of the Goat" (also turned into a horrible movie). "In the time of the Butterflies" is one of the most successful commercially which is perhaps the reason Salma Hayek saw it as a star vehicle that preceded Frida. With a budget no higher than a telenovela, the movie focuses on Salma and tries to become a manipulative story of a strong Latina, but ends up becoming a "Like Water for Chocolate" wannabe with no real direction. And as history goes, I don't think a movie with a mostly Mexican cast, speaking English and playing Dominicans is taking history too seriously.

This movie was poorly made. The story was plane and dull. I have noticed in the past that even if the story is lacking, the direction of the movie came bring it out more; however the director of this movie did not. I'd have to agree with another post on the casting of indigenous people. The movie was filmed in Mexico and almost everyone in the movie was Mexican. One could joke and say, "I didn't know there were that many Mexicans in DR." I'd say its more like, since the Dominicans are either black, white, or somewhere in between (mulattoes)...To have native Indians of AZTEC decent acting as Dominicans in a movie about the regime of Trujillo is as far off as having Japanese people acting as Germans in the regime of Hitler. The story focused too much on Minerva and no one else. This mistake was also very apparent. It is a good real life event in our history that we should know more about. I've noticed that many people who are not Dominican don't know of Trujillo and the horrors he brought to the DR. Someone should really consider making another movie about Minerva and her sisters with a more accurate representation.

I don't know what the director was thinking when this movie was filmed. As a Dominican native, I feel insulted that not only was the movie filmed outside of the Dominican Republic,but also none of the actors were Dominican native. I believe the director could have filmed the movie entirely with Dominican actors. This movie should have never been allowed. What a disgrace. Please in the future try to do a little more research about what life in a foreign nation is like. To film a movie without representing the people of the country can be embarrassing for the people native of that country. Oh yes, the movie would have been much better if it was in Spanish with English subtitle

This was a great movie. It taught me about struggles that people other than African Americans went through. It taught me about how i should appreciate my country and my freedom.This movie is the best movie i have yet to see. The actors were great and the movie kept me wanting to see more.This movie showed how greed,power,and money can affect a country.This movie is showed me that lots of people from all over the world went through some hard times. The Dominican republic never gained a strong government and thats why Americans should be grateful that we have a not great but good government and freedom of speech. I could not imagine having to live through the things they lived through. Even though the movies was not filmed in the Dominican Repubic or filmed with Dominicans it doesn't matter. Where it was made or who made it doesn't matter the fact is the story was told and the movie was made.

In general, the movie was a total disappointment, and more disappointing when you are a Dominican person, that although was not present, has learned so much about it. *Worst Points: a.) Most of the Dominican population is Mulatto, although blacks and whites predominate. The people that predominate in the movie are Mexicans, and although I have nothing against them, that cannot be acceptable. b.) The script was kind of corny and romantic, and the story is more horrifying than anything else, and the movie writers leave aside that part of the history where the real action occurs to put romantic stuff. c.) The movie focuses more on Minerva Mirabal than on the other two sisters. Although is true that Minerva was essential and the one that attracted the rest of the sisters, they cannot leave aside Maria Teresa and Patria to concentrate more on Minerva's life. d.) The investigation had to be more deep. If they talk about a specific place, in this case Dominican Republic, they have to investigate more about the system DR had (way of life, transportation, economics, culture etc.) but had to be more deep and specific. They had to focus more on the Mirabal's daily life. What did this family do? How did they get along? e.) The other part of the investigation (Trujillo's government), was full of mistakes. e.) The horror Trujillo caused among the population should've been more shown. Trujillo is shown as being too easy-going. Well, not easy-going, but compared to what Trujillo did, the movie showed him very light. f.) The technical part is horrible and several actors did a mediocre performance, with lack of realism. They seemed to be very soap-opera. Actors should've researched a bit more about their characters. g.) No one on DR would dare to disrespect physically or verbally Trujillo or his family. The movie showed that several times. Although I had to admit Minerva had a lot of courage and defended herself very well, but not to the level that the movie shows.

But not the serious and meaningful movie it was meant to be. Trujillo and Minerva's various encounters strained my credibility, this was a man who flicked his finger for any woman that he desired but takes a slap across the face from a young slip of a girl and carts her father off to prison as punishment? I am sure there was a marvellous and accurate story of the Mirabal sisters written which would be far more inspiring than the beautifully colour-co-ordinated-with-lipstick-and- mascara-supplied-in-the-depths-of-a-filthy-prison performances that the actors have supplied here. Too lovely a movie in spite of the horrors portrayed on screen. I would have liked to have seen more in depth background rather than the sisters frolicking so joyfully for it seemed like half an hour at the beginning of the movie. There was too much up close and personal about Turjillo and Minerva unfortunately and not enough about the Dominican Republic. 5 out of 10.