Black Butterflies 2011

Stephen Holden, New York Times: The movie reminds you of the extent to which poetry has been marginalized as a cultural force since the early 1960s. Read more

Keith Uhlich, Time Out: Always feels like a life schematically condensed rather than intimately explored. Read more

Sam Adams, AV Club: Black Butterflies scarcely tries to illuminate the substance of Jonker's writing. Read more

Jordan Mintzer, Hollywood Reporter: 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. Read more

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: Van Houten ... gives a strong performance as Jonker, and the cinematography is pleasing, but the script is cliche-ridden and ends on an overly sentimental note. Read more

Rex Reed, New York Observer: 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. Read more

Ronnie Scheib, Variety: The uncompromising power of Ingrid Jonker's poetry runs like a pulsing vein through Black Butterflies, a 1960s-set drama whose several strong points include the angry intensity of Carice van Houten's fearless perf. Read more

Nick Schager, Village Voice: Art, politics, and craziness conspire to form a rather mechanical melodrama in Black Butterflies... Read more