The Blue Butterfly (2004) NR - 3½ Stars

One day when I was at Blockbuster trying to decide what to rent, a woman came over to me and said, "see this one." Actually I think she was flirting with me but I brought it home and it turned out to be a good little movie. There is one last blue butterfly in the rain forest that if it comes to you and you see it, it can bring you good fortune. In this case, Pete returned to his mother walking and was 20 years old in 2004. It's amazing what the power of the mind is capable of.

Pete Carlton (Marc Donato) is a bright 10 year old boy, struggling with terminal brain cancer. Even in light of his condition, he stays positive and has a good outlook on life. He has a collection of butterflies and his hero is an entomologist named Alan Osborne (William Hurt) a man Pete looks up to as one of the best collectors in the world. Pete's dream is to capture the Blue Morpho butterfly only found in the rainforest of Central and South America.

Pete's mother Teresa (Pascale Bussières) is a single mom also struggling with his terminal condition. She is determined to give Pete love and any request within her reach that he desires before his cancer catches up with him. When she learns of her son's final request, she takes him to see Alan at one of his lectures. Adam prefers to spend his time in the lab, rather than to correspond with people but Teresa's undying determination convinces him to take her son to the jungle in search of his elusive request. Alan has been held captive in his labs by his studies and doesn't interact much with people these days but he is finally agrees to take the wheel-chair bound Pete to the Costa Rican rainforest.

Their journey is one chocked full of life and death adventures, where both Adam and Pete will learn much about themselves, Adam will have a metamorphosis of his own, changing both their lives forever.

Palpable Productions Inc
Director: Léa Pool
Writer: Pete McCormack
Producers: Francine Allaire, Arnie Gelbart, Claude Bonin

I viewed 2/07