The Blue Butterfly (2004)

Young tween Pete (Marc Donato) has a brain tumor. Despite treatment, his prognosis is not good. Naturally, his beautiful mother, Teresa (Pascale Bussieres) is deeply sad but, she cannot help but admire her brave son. The lad is a winged-insect collector and his fondest wish is to go to the Costa Rican rainforest and catch a "blue butterfly", like his idol, Dr. Alan (William Hurt). So, even though the odds are stacked against them, Teresa takes Marc to one of the prof's lectures and begs him to take her son to Central America. At first, Alan demurs, in part because he states the season is over and the blue butterflies will not be numerous. Also, Al doesn't really connect well with people, especially children. Nevertheless, after realizing how much it means to Pete, Alan says yes. The journey into the rainforest is amazingly beautiful but rather treacherous, as some of the creatures are fierce. Pete and his mother makes friends with the native tribes that Alan knows well, for the prof has been there many times. But, their trek proves, initially, futile. Sensing that the noise of a large party might be a problem, Pete asks Alan if "just the two of them" can go looking, even though it might be dangerous. Al consents. Will the boy get his heart's desire before his illness defeats him? This is an astoundingly lovely film, very admirable. The fact that is it hardly known is a terrible shame. First, the cast is great, with Hurt giving one of his best performances ever, even considering his amazing body of work. Bussieres and Donato, too, are very touching while the supporting cast likewise does well. The beauty of the setting can not be overstated and the breathtaking close-ups of many of the rainforest's creatures has to be seen to be appreciated. Costumes, cinematography, script (based on a true story), and the skilled direction all work to make one very admirable movie. Therefore, be you a family in search of a flick for all members or someone who seeks out the finest of the finest, this movie is for everyone, the world over.

The Blue Butterfly tells the extraordinary story of a 10-year-old boy diagnosed as terminally ill whose dream is to catch the most beautiful butterfly on Earth the mythic and elusive Blue Morpho. His mother persuades a renowned entomologist (William Hurt) to take them on a trip to the Costa Rican rain forest to search for the butterfly leading to an adventure that will transform their lives. And so their journey begins. A journey of courage redemption and love. A magical film about a courageous young boy and a jaded man who chase a dream and whose lives are forever changed. Now fourteen years later the young boy who was given hopefully six months to live is now a young man. This magical story is true.

If you know of any kids who are suffering with cancer, and especially those who diagnosed as terminally ill, this would be an inspiring film for them.Meanwhile, who doesn't like looking at butterflies? Well, this story is a lot more than that, but you might as well enjoy the fantastic insects and nature scenery of Costa Rica while going along for this ride. This is another based-on-a-true story film, about boy dying of brain cancer getting his wish to go track down the mysterious "Blue Morpho" butterfly which supposedly brings magical powers.The film stars William Hurt and a couple of unknown actors: Marc Donato, who plays the boy, "Pete Carlton," and Pascale Bussieres as his mom, "Teresa." All three do a fine job.I really enjoyed the wildlife photography. Some of the insects, reptiles, birds and animals in that part of the world are just amazing. The story tries hard not to be sentimental, sometimes too hard and also infers near the end that the young boy was magically healed by some spirits of the jungle. Filmmakers love promoting mystical New Age-type stuff. Nonetheless, unlike what I expected, there was a happy ending to this story. Most importantly it was happy conclusion for the real person. Obviously, that is what is really important.This is the real-life story of David Marenger, who is a grateful, now-healthy young man who spends his time wisely helping other kids with illnesses. You can see him in an interview that accompanies the DVD.

I enjoyed this movie. I watched it in the afternoon because there was nothing else on the other channels I felt like seeing. From that rather unpromising beginning ( I expected it to be a sloppy tearjerker) I was agreeably surprised as the story unfolded. Knowing it to be a true story I wasn't expecting any massively surprising twists and indeed there weren't any, but the characters developed satisfyingly and the jungle scenes were fantastic. I'm lucky enough to have a large cinema screen at home and watch films via a 'proper' projector, so the huge scenes outdoors with the insects and wildlife were gorgeous and it really felt like I was actually there and experiencing it for real. I get bored easily and I also get a bit jumpy with suspense stuff, but I stayed with this film all the way through and without any boredom. But I did fast forward through the bits where he was running through the jungle with the little boy on his back because I'm a mother and that kind of thing worries me, I was just waiting for an accident LOL It had a happy ending which made a nice change - I get fed up of films that leave me feeling tearful and depressed - this one was nicely positive. It made me feel like maybe visiting the rainforest myself one day - but not to wade in the swamps - leeches are my worst nightmare!!