66
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenIn its jagged style and tone Black Butterflies is as close to an inside-out view of Jonker's tumultuous life as a movie could go without sinking into chaos. Its hues are continuously changing, and the seaside weather around Cape Town reflects her tempestuous emotional life.
- 80VarietyRonnie ScheibVarietyRonnie ScheibThe uncompromising power of Ingrid Jonker's poetry runs like a pulsing vein through Black Butterflies.
- Paula van der Oest's biopic of South African poet Ingrid Jonker is conventional yet captivating thanks in large part to a terrific lead performance from Carice van Houten.
- 75ObserverRex ReedObserverRex ReedNeither another bland biopic about a self-destructive artist nor an historical scrapbook about a country in the grip of slavery, Black Butterflies is a dark, moving depiction of the life and death of a brave rebellious, idiosyncratic woman who made significant strides toward changing the world around her and paid a heavy toll for her passion.
- 63Slant MagazineSlant MagazineA reasonably sensitive and occasionally insightful look into the mind and psyche of an impassioned and deeply troubled artist.
- 60Time OutKeith UhlichTime OutKeith UhlichCarice van Houten (Black Book) is superb as the emotionally unstable Jonker - all manically beaming highs and depressively gloomy lows, a tempestuous force of nature in a movie that too often plays it blandly polite.
- 50Village VoiceNick SchagerVillage VoiceNick SchagerArt, politics, and craziness conspire to form a rather mechanical melodrama in Black Butterflies.
- 50New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoThe script is cliché-ridden and ends on an overly sentimental note.