In the Time of the Butterflies (film)
Encyclopedia
In the Time of the Butterflies is a 2001 feature film
, produced for the Showtime television network, directed by Mariano Barroso based on the Julia Álvarez
book of the same name. The story is a fictionalized account of the lives of the Mirabal sisters
, Dominican
revolutionary activists, who opposed the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo and were assassinated on November 25, 1960.
In the movie, Salma Hayek
plays one of the sisters, Minerva, and Edward James Olmos
plays the Dominican
dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo
whom the sisters opposed. Marc Anthony
has a minor role as Minerva's first love, and as the impetus for her later revolutionary activities.
During the montage a title card appears that says:
The scene shifts to inside of a prison cell where one of his victims, Minerva Mirabal recounts the events of the story.
Minerva and her three sisters Patria, Dede and Maria Teresa ("Mate") live on a farm in rural Dominican Republic. Minerva, the
outspoken sister, convinces her father to send her, Patria and Mate away to attend school. The sisters spend five years away at school, during which time Minerva captures the attention of el Jefe (Trujillo), who notices Minerva at a school play.
When school is over, Minerva wishes to study to become a lawyer, but women are not allowed in law school. So the sisters return to the farm, and Minerva soon meets and falls in love with Virgilio ("Lio") a member of the resistance, who gives her the nickname "Butterfly". Lio's activities during a college protest are noticed, and he is forced to leave the country out of fear for his life, though he continues to write to Minerva.
Minerva, along with her family, is invited to a formal ball at the President's palace, where she dances with Trujillo. During their dance, Minerva asks for permission to attend law school, but Trujillo declines. He touches Minerva inappropriately, and she responds by recoiling and slapping him in the face. Her family quickly rushes to her side, and Trujillo allows them to leave.
The next day the police arrive at the family farm and take Minerva's father away. The sisters spend several weeks dealing with the police bureaucracy trying to locate their father before it is suggested that there is a way that Minerva can get her father out of prison. Minerva goes to the palace and Trujillo suggests that her father can leave if she stays at the palace. Minerva points out that her mother is waiting outside and would "appreciate his hospitality" too. Trujillo decides that that they should leave it to chance (a dice
roll), to determine if Minerva and her family go free, or if Minerva stays at the place while her family is free. Minerva accepts, but asks to "up the stakes" - if she wins, she goes free and also gets to attend law school, and if she loses, Trujillo can "have his wish". She rolls the dice and wins, and Trujillo lets her leave.
Minerva's victory is hollow. Her father is released from prison, but has been tortured, is not well, and soon dies. While attending his funeral, the police chief delivers to Minerva a letter permitting her to attend law school. Minerva's hatred of Trujillo is intense, but she decides to accept his "gift" to attend law school because she views it as her only way to effectively oppose Trujillo.
While in law school, Minerva discovers that Lio has been killed by Trujillo supporters even though he was out of the country. She meets other members of the resistance, who through Lio, know of her as "Butterfly". She becomes a member of the resistance, and over time Patria and Mate learn of her activities and become involved too. She falls in love with Manolo, a fellow law student and member of the resistance, and they are married.
When Minerva graduates from law school, Trujillo is present to pass out the diplomas. All the other students receive diplomas, but he refuses to give Minerva a diploma saying he agreed to allow her to attend law school, not to practice law.
After law school, Minerva has children, but continues her resistance activities. After a series of increasingly dangerous events she, Mate, and many resistance members are arrested and sent to jail. Minerva becomes a symbol, and many prisoners, guards, and outsiders secretly voice their support for "the Butterflies".
Eventually Minerva and Mate are released from jail, but their husbands and Patria's are still held captive. The women continue their efforts to locate their husbands and inquire about their status. Trujillo stops by to visit Minerva at her home, and she asks for his help to get her husband released. Trujillo reaches to touch Minerva's face and she recoils from his touch. Trujillo vows to help Minerva "end her troubles".
While returning from a trip to visit their husbands, Minerva, Patria and Mate are stopped on the road by a large group of Trujillo's men. They are taken some distance off the main road, and the men surround them and beat them to death.
Another title card appears at the end that says:
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
, produced for the Showtime television network, directed by Mariano Barroso based on the Julia Álvarez
Julia Álvarez
Julia Alvarez is a Dominican-American poet, novelist, and essayist. Born in New York of Dominican descent, she spent the first ten years of her childhood in the Dominican Republic, until her father's involvement in a political rebellion forced her family to flee the country.Alvarez rose to...
book of the same name. The story is a fictionalized account of the lives of the Mirabal sisters
Mirabal sisters
The Mirabal sisters were four Dominican political dissidents who opposed the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. Three of the sisters were assassinated by unknown persons...
, Dominican
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
revolutionary activists, who opposed the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo and were assassinated on November 25, 1960.
In the movie, Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek
Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault is a Mexican film actress, director and producer. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role as Frida Kahlo in the film Frida.-Early life:...
plays one of the sisters, Minerva, and Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt...
plays the Dominican
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo
Rafael Leónidas Trujillo
Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina , nicknamed El Jefe , ruled the Dominican Republic from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. He officially served as president from 1930 to 1938 and again from 1942 to 1952, otherwise ruling as an unelected military strongman...
whom the sisters opposed. Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...
has a minor role as Minerva's first love, and as the impetus for her later revolutionary activities.
Plot
The Movie Begins showing pictures and films of the actual victims Of Rafael Trujillo.During the montage a title card appears that says:
- From 1930 until 1961, General Leonidas Trujillo held absolute control of the Dominican Republic.
- His secret alliance with the church, aristocrats, intellectuals and the press were the foundation of his dictatorship.
- His formula to remain in power was simple: murder anyone who opposed him.
- More than 30,000 thousand people were executed during his regime of terror...
The scene shifts to inside of a prison cell where one of his victims, Minerva Mirabal recounts the events of the story.
Minerva and her three sisters Patria, Dede and Maria Teresa ("Mate") live on a farm in rural Dominican Republic. Minerva, the
outspoken sister, convinces her father to send her, Patria and Mate away to attend school. The sisters spend five years away at school, during which time Minerva captures the attention of el Jefe (Trujillo), who notices Minerva at a school play.
When school is over, Minerva wishes to study to become a lawyer, but women are not allowed in law school. So the sisters return to the farm, and Minerva soon meets and falls in love with Virgilio ("Lio") a member of the resistance, who gives her the nickname "Butterfly". Lio's activities during a college protest are noticed, and he is forced to leave the country out of fear for his life, though he continues to write to Minerva.
Minerva, along with her family, is invited to a formal ball at the President's palace, where she dances with Trujillo. During their dance, Minerva asks for permission to attend law school, but Trujillo declines. He touches Minerva inappropriately, and she responds by recoiling and slapping him in the face. Her family quickly rushes to her side, and Trujillo allows them to leave.
The next day the police arrive at the family farm and take Minerva's father away. The sisters spend several weeks dealing with the police bureaucracy trying to locate their father before it is suggested that there is a way that Minerva can get her father out of prison. Minerva goes to the palace and Trujillo suggests that her father can leave if she stays at the palace. Minerva points out that her mother is waiting outside and would "appreciate his hospitality" too. Trujillo decides that that they should leave it to chance (a dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
roll), to determine if Minerva and her family go free, or if Minerva stays at the place while her family is free. Minerva accepts, but asks to "up the stakes" - if she wins, she goes free and also gets to attend law school, and if she loses, Trujillo can "have his wish". She rolls the dice and wins, and Trujillo lets her leave.
Minerva's victory is hollow. Her father is released from prison, but has been tortured, is not well, and soon dies. While attending his funeral, the police chief delivers to Minerva a letter permitting her to attend law school. Minerva's hatred of Trujillo is intense, but she decides to accept his "gift" to attend law school because she views it as her only way to effectively oppose Trujillo.
While in law school, Minerva discovers that Lio has been killed by Trujillo supporters even though he was out of the country. She meets other members of the resistance, who through Lio, know of her as "Butterfly". She becomes a member of the resistance, and over time Patria and Mate learn of her activities and become involved too. She falls in love with Manolo, a fellow law student and member of the resistance, and they are married.
When Minerva graduates from law school, Trujillo is present to pass out the diplomas. All the other students receive diplomas, but he refuses to give Minerva a diploma saying he agreed to allow her to attend law school, not to practice law.
After law school, Minerva has children, but continues her resistance activities. After a series of increasingly dangerous events she, Mate, and many resistance members are arrested and sent to jail. Minerva becomes a symbol, and many prisoners, guards, and outsiders secretly voice their support for "the Butterflies".
Eventually Minerva and Mate are released from jail, but their husbands and Patria's are still held captive. The women continue their efforts to locate their husbands and inquire about their status. Trujillo stops by to visit Minerva at her home, and she asks for his help to get her husband released. Trujillo reaches to touch Minerva's face and she recoils from his touch. Trujillo vows to help Minerva "end her troubles".
While returning from a trip to visit their husbands, Minerva, Patria and Mate are stopped on the road by a large group of Trujillo's men. They are taken some distance off the main road, and the men surround them and beat them to death.
Another title card appears at the end that says:
- The Death Of The Mirabal Sisters was the final blow to the regime of Leonidas Trujillo, who was assassinated six months later.
- Several of the children of the Mirabal sisters held important posts in the later democratic governments of the Dominican Republic.
- The day of the sisters' death, November 25, is observed in many Latin American countries as the International Day Against Violence Towards Women.
Cast
- Salma HayekSalma HayekSalma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault is a Mexican film actress, director and producer. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role as Frida Kahlo in the film Frida.-Early life:...
as Minerva - Edward James OlmosEdward James OlmosEdward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt...
as Trujillo - Mia MaestroMía MaestroMía Maestro is an Argentine actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Nadia Santos in the television drama Alias, and as Christina Kahlo in Frida.-Life and acting career:...
as Mate - Demian BichirDemián BichirDemián Bichir Nájera is a Mexican actor. Both of his parents, Alejandro Bichir and Maricruz Nájera, and brothers Odiseo and Bruno Bichir are actors. He was married to singer Lisset Gutiérrez.-Career:...
as Manolo - Pilar Padilla as Dede
- Lumi CavazosLumi CavazosLumi Cavazos is a Mexican actress who won the Best Actress awards at the Tokyo Film Festival, and Brazil’s Festival de Gramado for her portrayal of "Tita" in the 1993 adaptation of Laura Esquivel’s Mexican novel, Like Water for Chocolate...
as Patria - Marc AnthonyMarc AnthonyMarc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...
as Lio - Pedro Armendáriz Marquez as Captain Pena
- Ana MartínAna MartínAna Martín is a Mexican actress best known for her work in telenovelas, movies and the stage. She has had a very successful and lengthy career since winning the Miss Mexico title in 1963.-Early life and career:...
as Mama - Ana LayevskaAna LayevskaAnna Laevski Rastsvetaeva , better known as Ana Layevska, is a Russian-Mexican actress.-Early life:Born in Kiev, Ukraine, Ana is the only child of Russian parents, Sergei Laevski and Inna Rastsvetaeva. Ana and her family moved to Mexico when she was nine years old...
as Lina Lovaton - Fernando Becerril as Enrique Mirabel
- Anthony Alvarez as Palomino
- Ermahn Ospina as Jaimito
- Raul Mendez as Pedrito
- Mariana Sanchez as Minerva at 13 years old
See also
- In the Time of the ButterfliesIn the Time of the ButterfliesIn the Time of the Butterflies is a historical novel by Julia Alvarez, relating an account of the Mirabal sisters during the time of the Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic. The book is written in the first and third person, by and about the Mirabal sisters...
, the book upon which the film is based. - Mirabal sistersMirabal sistersThe Mirabal sisters were four Dominican political dissidents who opposed the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. Three of the sisters were assassinated by unknown persons...
, the real-life sisters upon which the film and book are based. - Trópico de SangreTrópico de SangreTrópico de Sangre is a dramatic film based on the true story of the Dominican Republic's historic Mirabal sisters.-Plot summary:The film focuses on Minerva Mirabal and tells the true story of how she and her sisters came to represent the greatest threat to dictator Rafael Trujillo and his regime. ...
, a fact-based film about the Mirabal sisters released in 2010 (post-production).