BUTTERFLY KISS (1995) - ♦♦♦

Directed by - Michael Winterbottom

Written by - Frank Cottrell Boyce, Michael Winterbottom

Starring - Amanda Plummer, Saskia Reeves

"Two lesbians suddenly fall for each other and set off on a road trip, which darkens as one discover’s the other’s uncontrollable habit of killing people along the way. 

Driven by its two leading characters and their contrasting personalities, two characters that may be tough to like on a narrative level but are nevertheless very real in their human imperfections, BUTTERFLY KISS by MICHAEL WINTERBOTTOM is an anti-romantic flick, one that feels anarchic and rebellious and not particularly in a trendy and cool way. 

The visuals are often grey, conveying a down to earth stylistic approach that heightens the intensity of the film. The screenplay, however, is imperfect when it attempts a suited wrap up in a seemingly rushed and disappointingly conventional way. 

Despite this, the performances by AMANDA PLUMMER and SASKIA REEVES in their extreme versions of THELMA AND LOUISE are fun and possibly overacted on purpose – a choice conveyed by the writing that add a certain level of awkward tension in character interactions. And while BUTTERFLY KISS openly flirts with sexual and lesbian themes, it never does so in a tasteless way."

Drama, UK