Overview
Three estranged siblings return to their childhood village, uncovering family secrets and their own identities while waiting for the arrival of the butterflies.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- absurd
- melancholic
- witty
- reflective evening
- arthouse movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly celebrate the film as an inventive, emotionally resonant Turkish tragicomedy that balances surreal rural folklore with sharply observed family dysfunction.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The village's butterflies gather to die, and the siblings accept this bizarre phenomenon as part of their father's funeral conditions.
Cemal, Kenan, and Suzan return to their father's village after thirty years apart and gradually confront their lack of shared history.
The siblings must wait for a mass butterfly death before burying their father, while village customs and grief unfold in strange comic rhythms.
The father's unexpected summons, death, and unusual burial request force the siblings to investigate what they never knew about him.
Films like Butterflies, and why
The Lure
shared magical realism, estranged family dynamics, village eccentricity, and bittersweet comedy
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
shared offbeat tragicomedy, unresolved family wounds, and surreal encounters with death
The Darjeeling Limited
shared melancholic road movie structure, sibling tension, and comic absurdity
The Bothersome Man
shared rural magical realism, family secrets, and a quietly strange atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Tolga Karaçelik
- Release Date
- 2018-03-30
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (117)
Cast
- Tuğçe Altuğ
- Tolga Tekin
- Bartu Küçükçağlayan
- Serkan Keskin
- Hakan Karsak
- Gülçin Kültür Şahin
- Bedir Bedir
- Murat Sağlam
- Ercan Kesal
- Ezgi Mola
Common questions
- What is Butterflies about?
- Three estranged siblings confront grief, buried family secrets, and a village's surreal butterfly ritual while waiting for their father's final wish.
- What is Butterflies like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Butterflies as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Butterflies violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Butterflies.
- What did critics think of Butterflies?
- Critics broadly celebrate the film as an inventive, emotionally resonant Turkish tragicomedy that balances surreal rural folklore with sharply observed family dysfunction.
- Which films are like Butterflies?
- Films with a similar feel include The Lure, A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence, The Darjeeling Limited, and The Bothersome Man.
- How long is Butterflies?
- Butterflies runs 113 minutes.
