Giving Birth to a Butterfly wraps you in the arms of a family dynamic not immediately forthcoming. Almost like walking into a room full of people you don’t know in the middle of multiple life events. Not life events that cause you to think the worst. Just the monotony of the unexpected being hurled at you from every angle. Like watching a finely tuned home video, the viewpoint is framed in 16mm. In addition, everything is tinged in a washed-out pastel.

Instantly, we are captivated by each character simultaneously in Giving Birth to a Butterfly. Mum, Diana is simply trying to sell some clothes on the Internet. Dad, Daryl who works in a cafe, has dreams. His dreams are so big, he wears chef whites at dinner as they dine on take-out Chinese food. Daryl constantly seeks approval and support from his family about a name for a restaurant mirage he will own one day. Their son, Drew arrives home with his girlfriend Marlene. She is halfway through a pregnancy and Drew announces that he will be the dad. Of course, it’s not his baby, but there are so many bad dads out there, why wouldn’t he be?

Despite the busy landscape of this family, the camera hones in on Diana as Daryl invites the young pregnant girl to live with them. Why is she struggling to sell things they own online if they have the resources to support a whole new person? His constant dismissive tone and blame are zeroed in on the stressed mother and wife that belies the undertone of the mask of a happy family.

Place a Spoon Underneath Your Pillow to Collect Your Dreams

One minute I was waiting for a life lesson while watching Giving Birth to a Butterfly. Something along the lines of how men talk a lot and offer little. The vehicle for the film is definitely housed that way. But this is not that type of linear story. Diana becomes the victim of a scam on the internet. She procures Marlene to help her understand what went wrong. Together they embark on a road trip to find the people responsible for draining Diana’s bank account. And from there, suddenly, “Giving Birth to a Butterfly” trips all the way out.

Beyond taking the viewer on a surreal journey to find some scammers, the narrative lands somewhere at a crossroads between The Cat in the Hat and Alice in Wonderland. Two white-haired and backward-is-forwards ladies answer the door. But as far as answering anything else, in particular, the nonsensical dreamscape is more annoying than anything else. I guess I wanted a different kind of film.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with this weird and visually appealing account of a life unfulfilled. Those that take solace in the hidden messages of following their dreams, might find certain elements relatable. However, for Mother of Movies, arthouse sentimentalities are often lost on me. I enjoy the idea of surrealism when painted in a different kind of frame. I like my surrealism in an art gallery. It’s difficult to navigate when that same concept is projected on the screen.

Giving Birth to a Butterfly

Giving Birth to a Butterfly certainly entertains a few comical notions in its encapsulation of a few ironies. The idea of the model husband projecting his failed accomplishments onto their better halves while making themselves taller than they are did not go unnoticed. Nor did Diana’s escapism from a world she no longer enjoyed. But I can’t say I enjoyed this film.

Theodore Schaefer’s debut feature nods to films like David Lynch’s Rabbits and portrays a family filled with ideas consistent with the American Dream. Giving Birth to a Butterfly takes you on a journey through all the stereotypes of the family unit in a way that is interesting but not riveting.

I give Giving Birth to a Butterfly

2 there were no butterflies in this movie out of 5

Mother of Movies score

Giving Birth To A Butterfly Full Movie Trailer

Director: Theodore Schaefer
Writers: Patrick Lawler and, Theodore Schaefer.
Starring Annie Parisse (Friends From College) and Gus Birney (I’m Thinking of Ending Things), Constance Shulman (Orange Is the New Black, Strawberry Mansion), and Paul Sparks (House of Cards, Boardwalk Empire).

Where to Watch Giving Birth to a Butterfly

Cinedigm released Giving Birth to a Butterfly as a streaming exclusively on the company’s indie discovery platform Fandor. fantasy-drama first premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival (and the film was acquired as a screener by Mother of Movies.) You can watch the title digitally from May 16, 2023.