Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- paranoid
- claustrophobic
- foreboding
- late night suspense
- rainy day thriller
What critics said
Critics found the film a serviceable but uneven suspense thriller whose contained premise and performances were undermined by convoluted multiple endings.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Paul and Jack's storytelling rivalry causes the audience to question which account of the murders and their identities can be trusted.
Jack forces his way into Paul's screenplay while both men compete to control the story and their confined environment.
Paul's remote home outside a mountain town is surrounded by abductions, murders, and the growing threat posed by Jack.
Paul's career-saving screenplay develops alongside the real confrontation with Jack, blurring authored fiction and lived events.
Films like Black Butterfly, and why
The Invitation
contained psychological suspense, escalating two-hander, and unreliable-seeming layers of storytelling
Misery
isolated setting, dangerous interpersonal manipulation, and sustained paranoia thriller tension
Secret Window
writer protagonist, murder mystery atmosphere, and darkly self-conscious narrative games
Movie Details
- Director
- Brian Goodman
- Release Date
- 2017-05-26
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (585)
Cast
- Antonio Banderas
- Jonathan Rhys Meyers
- Piper Perabo
- Abel Ferrara
- Nicholas Aaron
- Vincent Riotta
- Gioia Libardoni
- Nathalie Rapti Gomez
- Alexandra Klim
- Katie McGovern
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Cinemax Amazon Channel, Cinemax Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Black Butterfly about?
- A desperate writer shelters a volatile drifter, turning a mountain retreat into a claustrophobic contest over murder, authorship, and control.
- What is Black Butterfly like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Black Butterfly as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Black Butterfly violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Black Butterfly as moderate.
- What did critics think of Black Butterfly?
- Critics found the film a serviceable but uneven suspense thriller whose contained premise and performances were undermined by convoluted multiple endings.
- Which films are like Black Butterfly?
- Films with a similar feel include The Invitation, Misery, and Secret Window.
- How long is Black Butterfly?
- Black Butterfly runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch Black Butterfly?
- In United States, Black Butterfly streams on Cinemax Amazon Channel, Cinemax Apple TV channel.
