This week for Mubi Monday I get to cross another country off my list. On Letterboxd, under your individual stats, you can see a map of the world and which countries you have and/or have not seen a film from (see my map below). Sometimes a single film will encompass multiple countries, that is the case today. While I have already logged/reviewed a few Ukranian films, I get to cross Croatia off my list with this week’s review of…Butterfly Vision (2022).
Title: Butterfly Vision
Director: Maksym Nakonechnyi
Released: May 25, 2022 (Cannes Film Festival)
Runtime: 1 hour 47 minutes
Available to stream: Exclusively on Mubi (Don’t have Mubi? Here’s a month on me!)
Lilia (Marharyta Burkovska) is an aerial reconnaissance expert serving in the Ukranian armed forces. She has spent the last several months as a prisoner of war in Donbass. Luckily for her, she is to be returned home as part of a prisoner exchange.
As she returns home, Lilia is given a hero’s welcome. However, and understandably so, Lilia is having a hard time readjusting to society and “normal” day-to-day life. She’s suffering from severe PTSD and while submitting to a multitude of tests, Lilia finds out that she is pregnant.
Now, in addition to just trying to reacclimate, she’s faced with a whole new series of dilemmas.
Does she tell her husband (who is also a Ukranian soldier)?
Does she keep the child?
Will she be able to continue on in Ukraine?
We only catching glimpses of what Lilia was forced to suffer through while being held captive. Each glimpse presented as a quick blurry flashback, as if it was footage from one of Lilia’s drones. Luckily, for the viewer, the flashbacks show enough to be able to fill in any blanks without being too graphic themselves.
Yes, conflict in Ukraine is the primary focal point of the film, at least on the surface. Specifically, a soldier trying to reacclimate to life at home. That alone is heavy and bleak, especially given the current state of world affairs in that region. But Nakonechnyi (who wrote, directed, and edited) is also able to highlight women’s rights and a woman’s right to choose. Lilia is able to decide for herself whether or not she keeps the child of her captor. Based on her decision, the chips will fall where they may, but it is her decision, nonetheless.
Burkovska does a fantastic job in the lead role. For the majority of the film, she is fairly quiet and has little dialogue. Yet through her expressions and body language, she manages to speak volumes and draw you in.
I am sure that there are some cultural and political nuances present that went right over my head. By no means am I an expert on that area of the world, nor will I ever claim to be.
While Butterfly Vision (2022) certainly isn’t a light or “easy” watch, it is one that I’d definitely recommend you see at least once.
Now, if you’ve seen Butterfly Vision (2022), I want to hear your thoughts on it.
Leave them in a comment below or reach out to me on social media!
As always, you can keep up with everything else that I’ve been watching over on Letterboxd.