Black Butterflies (2011) Reviews

Director Paula van der Oest teams with screenwriter Greg Latter to tell the inspirational story of Ingrid Jonker, the volatile South African poet whose insatiable passion has drawn frequent comparisons to Sylvia Plath, and whose remarkable talents inspired hope at the height of the struggle against apartheid. Cape Town, South Africa: the 1960s. Free-spirited Ingrid Jonker (Carice van Houten) is fighting to recover from a recent breakdown in Amsterdam as she searches for the words to express her inner turmoil. Meanwhile, her inability to experience true love plunges her into a series of tempestuous affairs, and her defiant opposition to the injustice of apartheid puts her at odds with her stern father (Rutger Hauer), who's also the Minister of Censorship . Later, Jonker witnesses a tragedy that scars her soul while writing the poetry that will touch the hearts of millions. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi