The Butterfly Circus (2009)

A member of my choir recommended this gorgeous film, and I am so glad! I'm amazed that so much can be done with 22 minutes of film. Its warm, inspiring tone is moving, the essence of the Great Depression and circus aspects are first- rate. Each element is at once true, realistic, and entertaining. The acting is low-key, and the story line goes in unexpected directions. Not a predictable note occurs. Actually, at first, I wasn't sure I'd like it, but it won me over in the end. It has won a Doorpost Award deservedly. I hope we'll hear more from the artists behind "Butterfly Circus," for this is the kind of film that cheers the heart, fills the eye with beauty and makes cinema fans want to make their own films to match the wonder, which we certainly need more of in our lives. This is what good film is meant to do.

This film flies by in 20 min. with not a wasted second. Set in the Great Depression, it focuses on an inspirational traveling circus called the "Butterfly Circus". And most especially on the "limbless man" who stows away with them. This film goes as deep as it can in the short time span, so naturally none of the characters can be fully fleshed out. Yet it packs an emotional punch. And each character is given just enough face time so the audience cares about them. To the extremely jaded, they might be skeptical of such an inspirational film as this, but for the majority, this film will lift your spirit, especially if you are a teenager. Although the filmmakers and its star are all Christian, the spiritual message is more buried here, making it immediately accessible to anyone of any persuasion.I have seen many modern Christian films, and with the exception of the outstanding Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson, most were lamentable. Their budget could not support state of the art special effects and many of the actors seemed to be church buddies of the director with minimal experience. But what was the worst was the poor and superficial script writing. So Butterfly Circus comes off as a real delight. Still working with a limited budget, the director and cast clearly knew how to make use of their resources. The acting, while not Oscar worthy, is realistic and convincing. The script, while unable to be exceptionally deep because of the short running time, is provocative enough to touch the heart. You feel like you're "there" in the story. And the lighting and music are first rate, giving a dreamy feel to the entire production. The ringmaster Mendes says, "What this world needs is a little wonder!" In its own small way, that is the feeling you are left with after viewing this gem.

we get it: with hope and faith in yourself you can achieve more, but this old wisdom for most viewers doesn't need to be spelled out this impudently (although, considering the many praising reviews of this short film on the net, I've marked this as a spoiler). every scene, I daresay every look and act is soaked in that feel-goodness, and turns these twenty minutes into a painfully transparent watch for the persistent viewer. apart from that, the acting and dialog are quite horrible and the script is trite and superficial. where sarcasm or mockery could, shamelessly copying from the Carnivàle series nor idealism can save this film from being bad.

I came across this film after having seen one of Nick's talks. Being an inspirational character himself this film manages to put him in a perfect setting of good actors, settings and brilliant dialogues. The idea of a phoenix rising from the ashes, never to give up hope and to inspire people rather than making them laugh at "a man's imperfections on display" are all great themes, which one is left missing in most modern day Hollywood films.Overall this film is deeply touching, inspirational and I can, without any hesitation whatsoever, recommend this film to everyone! This film has won the Doorpost contest 2009 and rightly so!You can see this film for free at www.thedoorpost.com