Michael Winterbottom is an uneven director. Butterfly kiss is one of his better, stranger films. It's also his first one. A nihilistic tale about two people running amok. We are taken to some of the rawest landscapes of Britain: harsh winds, grayscales, motorways and filling stations. The people in the film fit the landscapes. It turns out Butterfly kiss is a grimmer, well - a lot grimmer - version of Thelma & Louise. Eunice is a tough 'un. She wanders from filling station to filling station, looking for a woman, a lover of old. She hooks up with Miriam, who runs away from home and basically dedicates her life to being loyal to Eunice, no matter what. The emphasis lies on 'no matter what'. Eunice turns out to be a killer. Miriam shakes off her nice-girl habitus and grows into Eunice's partner, which also means her partner in crime. Butterfly kiss is a troubling and troubled film about crazy love, love gone wrong. Miriam is insecure and clings to Eunice. Eunice is cruel and puts her to the test. Perhaps just for the fun of it.
Stylistically, the film offers a hash palette of colors and a merciless roadmovie among filling stations and diners. The characters speak with a heavy accent and what they say is not nice exactly. I didn't really warm to (ok warming to anything in this movie is maybe a misplaced description) the 'religious' theme: Eunice wants to be punished, but she goes on a killing spree without being punished. Butterfly kiss is a messy film but its rawness is convincing; the locations put you into a particular mood and the story of crazy adoration strikes a chord (even though I am not all too sure which one).
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