Black Butterflies
Encyclopedia
Black Butterflies is a Dutch film about the life of South-African poet Ingrid Jonker
. The film was directed by Paula van der Oest
and premiered in the Netherlands
on February 6th before being released on March 31, 2011. Although Jonker spoke and wrote in Afrikaans
and the film is a Dutch
production, the film is spoken in English.
. Her parents divorced, she lives with her sister at her mother's. After the passing of her mother she and her sister come to live with their father (played by Hauer), who treats them as outsiders. Ingrid marries, and gives birth to a daughter, but the marriage doesn't last. It is the era of apartheid, of which her father is a strong proponent, being South-Africa's Minister of Censorship. Ingrid is opposed to the apartheid regime, and has a strained relationship with her father. He opposes her relationship with author Jack Cope
(played by Cunningham) and her anti-apartheid poetry, which is inciteful in his eyes. He tries to ban one of her works, which he eventually doesn't, fearing a widespread riot.
As Ingrid keeps opposing the regime in her poetry, their relationship becomes even more strained and he tells her he never wants to see her ever again.
Ingrid Jonker
Ingrid Jonker , was a South African poet. Although she wrote in Afrikaans, her poems have been widely translated into other languages...
. The film was directed by Paula van der Oest
Paula van der Oest
Paula van der Oest is a Dutch film director and screenwriter. Her film Zus & Zo was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film....
and premiered in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
on February 6th before being released on March 31, 2011. Although Jonker spoke and wrote in Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
and the film is a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
production, the film is spoken in English.
Plot
The film is a depiction of the life of Ingrid Jonker (1933-65) (played by Van Houten), an AfrikanerAfrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
. Her parents divorced, she lives with her sister at her mother's. After the passing of her mother she and her sister come to live with their father (played by Hauer), who treats them as outsiders. Ingrid marries, and gives birth to a daughter, but the marriage doesn't last. It is the era of apartheid, of which her father is a strong proponent, being South-Africa's Minister of Censorship. Ingrid is opposed to the apartheid regime, and has a strained relationship with her father. He opposes her relationship with author Jack Cope
Jack Cope
Jack Cope was a South African novelist, short story writer, poet, and editor.Jack Cope was born in Natal, South Africa and attended boarding school in Durban, afterwards becoming a journalist on the Natal Mercury and then a political correspondent in London for South African newspapers...
(played by Cunningham) and her anti-apartheid poetry, which is inciteful in his eyes. He tries to ban one of her works, which he eventually doesn't, fearing a widespread riot.
As Ingrid keeps opposing the regime in her poetry, their relationship becomes even more strained and he tells her he never wants to see her ever again.
Cast
- Carice van Houten as Ingrid Jonker
- Rutger Hauer as Abraham Jonker
- Liam CunninghamLiam CunninghamLiam Cunningham is an Irish actor. He has appeared in numerous film and television productions including A Little Princess, First Knight, Jude and the BBC One science-fiction drama series Outcasts...
as Jack Cope