Finding the Essence of Ingrid Jonker
BLACK BUTTERFLIES is a biographical drama based on the life of Ingrid Jonker. For those who are unfamiliar with this poet the following description my aid in the appreciation of this film: `Ingrid Jonker (19 September 1933 - 19 July 1965) was a South African poet. Although she wrote in Afrikaans, her poems have been widely translated into other languages. Ingrid Jonker has reached iconic status in South Africa and is often called the South African Sylvia Plath, owing to the intensity of her work and the tragic course of her turbulent life. Her work has also been compared to that of Anne Sexton.' Greg Latter has written the screenplay that attempts to give us all the facets of this enigmatic personality and the film is directed by Paula van der Oest. It is obviously an act of love.
We meet Ingrid and her sister Anna as children, poor, without shoes, and taken to the home of their Apartheid father Abraham Jonker (Rutger Hauer) the Minister of Censorship for the parliament...
Good Performances, But Not Much Insight, Distinguish Another True Biography of Artistry Tinged With Madness
The beautifully produced biography "Black Butterflies" tells the story of South African poet Ingrid Jonker. Admittedly I was not familiar with Jonker's work or life, but it's pretty easy to determine just where the tale is headed within the first few minutes of the movie. Jonker came to international attention when one of her works about apartheid was quoted by Nelson Mandela nearly thirty years after her death. Jonker, it would seem, was another great artist living at the precipice of madness and emotional instability. A number of causes are hinted at, but nothing is really developed in "Black Butterflies" beyond the surface representation of a woman struggling with unknowable demons. I really wanted to know Jonker and to be devastated by her life story. But without digging deeper into her psyche, the movie never let me get close enough to its subject to appreciate her turmoil. Luckily, the role is portrayed by vibrant Carice van Houten. Van Houten brings an urgency and...
Finding the Essence of Ingrid Jonker
BLACK BUTTERFLIES is a biographical drama based on the life of Ingrid Jonker. For those who are unfamiliar with this poet the following description my aid in the appreciation of this film: `Ingrid Jonker (19 September 1933 - 19 July 1965) was a South African poet. Although she wrote in Afrikaans, her poems have been widely translated into other languages. Ingrid Jonker has reached iconic status in South Africa and is often called the South African Sylvia Plath, owing to the intensity of her work and the tragic course of her turbulent life. Her work has also been compared to that of Anne Sexton.' Greg Latter has written the screenplay that attempts to give us all the facets of this enigmatic personality and the film is directed by Paula van der Oest. It is obviously an act of love.
We meet Ingrid and her sister Anna as children, poor, without shoes, and taken to the home of their Apartheid father Abraham Jonker (Rutger Hauer) the Minister of Censorship for the parliament of...
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