User reviews

Last week in our local paper there was a photo and a story of the surviving Mirabal sister. I read the story, thought it was awful about the sisters murder, but kind of blew off the article as: "old news", "get over it already". Today I turned on the TV and this movie was on. I wasn't going to watch the whole thing, but got to putzing around and got kind of into just watching it while I did other stuff. I thought it was taking place in Mexico until I heard the part about the Haitians and figured out it was Santo Domingo. It was 3/4 of the way through the movie before I figured out it was the sisters I had read about in the paper. What a profound moment for me. These women were real heroes and their story should be told. I felt like such a jerk. It was a real lesson for me: you should never "blow anyone off" until you have heard their story. If you take the time, you may come to like and, maybe, even admire them. And you may learn something about them and yourself. No wonder their sister never stops telling their story.

This is a very good and in my opinion underrated movie.

Edward James Olmos at his best as he portrays the evil Trujillo a man who like Hitler became more evil as he got more power. He was a sexual sadist with a preference for young Mulatto girls which is how we get to the story in this movie.

The movie follows mainly Salma Hayek's character and her naivety until she realizes what Trujillo is really like.

The Mirabal sisters' assassination at the very end is sad but at least we are not shown the gory details.

One of Salma Hayeks best movies and I wish she did more like this instead of movies that exploited her looks and body. She is a very intelligent women and a good actress as this and the film Frida shows her to be.

So many things to say about this amazing movie. This has to be one of the saddest movies i have ever watched and the really sad part about it is that this is all true, Rafael Trujillo really existed and he really did most of the things shown in the movie. I think that this movie really brings out how it must have been when he ruled, his power, his fortune and the peoples attitude towards his rule. I would liked to have seen a little more of how badly he treated black people as I myself am a black person. I Think the role of Rafael Trujillo was portrayed well by the actor who played his role, actually I think he brought him out a little too well. After the movie I was left wondering if he was that inhumane.

Three sisters fight the evil Trujillo in this well-mounted mini-epic. Great acting somewhat marred by predictable dialogue, but the story works anyway. The women are gorgeous and sincere. James Olmos plays the three-dimensional lusty Trujillo. Good location photography in Mexico. Could have used more explanation of the politics.

In case you've never heard of Rafael Trujillo, he seized power in the Dominican Republic in a 1930 coup, and ruled the country through terror, torture, and assassination over the next thirty years. "In the Time of the Butterflies" portrays the Mirabal sisters, who sought to overthrow him. The movie did a worthy job looking at their lives, although it could have gone into life under Trujillo's regime a little more. Salma Hayek plays Minerva Mirabal and Edward James Olmos plays Trujillo.

Another interesting thing about Trujillo was that, although the US gladly propped him up for so many years, the CIA ended up assassinating him. You see, Trujillo had - like Manuel Noriega and Saddam Hussein - been using his position to enrich himself rather than the US. So, the CIA assassinated him in 1961. For further information, read "The CIA's Greatest Hits" by Mark Zepezauer.

this is a movie we should recommend to activist, women and even children. It unfortunately reminds us that although the story happened more than thirty years ago, it is not an exception today. It also teaches us that in the situation describes in the movie, something needs to be done, it needs to start somewhere and by somebody. There is a kind of realism which can explain many weaknesses in terms of security rules and exposure of the family. it is understandable because the fight started from a personal/family frustration in front of the abuse of the dictator. It is also possible that more could have been said on the revolutionary aspects of the story. All in all, let's forget all the possible imperfections and enjoy the movie as the celebration of courage and strong determination to fight injustice and human rights violations.let's see the movie as the symbol of the fight for violence against women particularly and fight against any kind of violence and abuse of power. I absolutely recommend it to everybody and will make sure that all my friends watch it . I will buy the book to have more insights of the story.

The movie In The Time of the Butterflies was a inspiring movie for young women. It shows you that you don't step down from something that you know is right and just because someone tells you too. This movie also shows you how Trujillo ruled over the Dominican republic for thirty years. I would like to see more of his rulings and understand how the people of that time went through.even though Trujillo was wrong the Maribal sisters stood up for there rights,beliefs,and fought for justices till there deaths.

I believe that if you take the strength of the Maribal sisters you would understand that it is OK for you to stand up for what you believe in.

I expected more from this movie but it was enjoyable enough. The acting was ok and I was especially surprised at Marc Anthony's performance and Salma was good as always. Sadly, the story was not so great.

7/10

The movie In The Time Of The Butterfly was an excellent movie, I really enjoyed the fact that three women, sisters at that were able to stand out and speak up about how their dictator Rafel Trujillo was treating women in the Dominican Republic. Rafel Trujillo was a strict dictator who was cruel to his citizens.

At the end the three sisters were killed because Rafel Trujillo but a hit out on them. I wanted yto cry because women had no respect after what they had done. Then Rafel Trujillo was killed afterwards by some men on a empty road. You should try to take the time out and enjoy the movie.

"Butterflies", the code name for three sisters and underground resistance conspirators in the Dominican Republic during the dictatorial Trujillo regime, bounds through time like a mediocre biopic taking pause at moments obviously designed to evoke emotion rather than infusing a sense of reality. Although an okay shoot technically, the film tries to do too much, doesn't give any real sense of Dominican history, and comes off like a soapy evil dictator vs three babes who even manage to find lip rouge in prison. Melodrama not for realists which attempts to connect the three sibs with Trujillo's assassination by association as opposed to fact. A poor testament to three martyrs.

With so much horror loose in this century, we forget some of the recent horrors of the last. Few people who vacation in the Dominican Republic today are aware of the brutal regime which flourished there --- like a poisonous tropical flower --- until recent times. This is a splendid depiction of it and of the struggle to overthrow it. Surprisingly there is no reference to the United States' shameful support of Trujillo or to the Castro revolution in nearby Cuba. I also wonder why it was filmed in Mexico rather than the Dominican Republic itself. But no matter. It is a gripping and thoughtful piece of cinema.

I never heard of the Mirabel sisters before, I do now and I agree it"s a story that has to be told. That said for a movie based on true events it could and should have been better. The story feels a bit bland and could have used some more explanations in every domain, the political agenda, the family background and so on are unexploited, or at least not enough. The movie is watchable though but it misses something to make it very good. The acting was good and that from the whole cast. Salma Hayek is always nice to watch. I don't regret watching it as I learned something I didn't knew before, but it's just going to be a one time viewing for me.

In general, the movie was a total disappointment, and more disappointing when you are a Dominican person, that although was not present, has learned so much about it.

*Worst Points:

a.) Most of the Dominican population is Mulatto, although blacks and whites predominate. The people that predominate in the movie are Mexicans, and although I have nothing against them, that cannot be acceptable.

b.) The script was kind of corny and romantic, and the story is more horrifying than anything else, and the movie writers leave aside that part of the history where the real action occurs to put romantic stuff.

c.) The movie focuses more on Minerva Mirabal than on the other two sisters. Although is true that Minerva was essential and the one that attracted the rest of the sisters, they cannot leave aside Maria Teresa and Patria to concentrate more on Minerva's life.

d.) The investigation had to be more deep. If they talk about a specific place, in this case Dominican Republic, they have to investigate more about the system DR had (way of life, transportation, economics, culture etc.) but had to be more deep and specific. They had to focus more on the Mirabal's daily life. What did this family do? How did they get along? e.) The other part of the investigation (Trujillo's government), was full of mistakes.

e.) The horror Trujillo caused among the population should've been more shown. Trujillo is shown as being too easy-going. Well, not easy-going, but compared to what Trujillo did, the movie showed him very light.

f.) The technical part is horrible and several actors did a mediocre performance, with lack of realism. They seemed to be very soap-opera. Actors should've researched a bit more about their characters.

g.) No one on DR would dare to disrespect physically or verbally Trujillo or his family. The movie showed that several times. Although I had to admit Minerva had a lot of courage and defended herself very well, but not to the level that the movie shows.

This story about the Mirabal sisters who, in 1960, were murdered for resisting tyranny is a remarkable film. The acting, directing and writing excellent.

Importantly, the cast was not Anglicized. Unlike, say, The Mask of Zorro, which is set in Spain but has Antonio Banderas as the only Hispanic actor in a lead role, this film opts for authenticity from top to bottom. Which serves a sign of respect for the powerful, compelling drama that is rendered.

Felt like the story took place in Europe, the director obviously didn't bother to look at the Dominican people. Aside from that the acting and plot were terrible.

Read the novel and skip the movie

I didn't know anything about General Trujillo or the Mirabal sisters, so this movie certainly served as a history lesson for me. Of course, I know parts of the movie are likely fictionalized. Although as far as I can see from Wikipedia, there were no major changes. I thought maybe the movie would slow and a bit of a drag like your typical sob story. But it wasn't. I found myself thoroughly engrossed and for the most part it was inspiring and the end (which I will not spoil here but those who know the history will know what happens) felt completely unexpected. But that's probably how it felt to the sisters too. My one impression had been that there was a slight tendency for the movie to be sentimental and paint things in black and white without nuance, but I can't really judge that without really knowing the history.

Many good books have been written about the brutal regime of Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. Check Edwidge Danticat's "The Farming of Bones" and Mario Vargas Llosa's brutal "Feast of the Goat" (also turned into a horrible movie). "In the time of the Butterflies" is one of the most successful commercially which is perhaps the reason Salma Hayek saw it as a star vehicle that preceded Frida.

With a budget no higher than a telenovela, the movie focuses on Salma and tries to become a manipulative story of a strong Latina, but ends up becoming a "Like Water for Chocolate" wannabe with no real direction. And as history goes, I don't think a movie with a mostly Mexican cast, speaking English and playing Dominicans is taking history too seriously.

This is a good film for simply raising awareness of this slice of West Indian history. I was reminded of the Soviet classic "I am Cuba". I wasn't aware that similar revolutionary circumstances existed in the Dominican Republic, but it makes sense that they did. The film leaves one outraged that these right-wing regimes were ever permitted to flourish in the western hemisphere, and brings home the fact that real democracy and revolutionary socialism are essentially the same thing.

This film was filmed in the Dominican Republic you can even see it in the movie the artifacts and the people. This film was filmed in the, THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC in Santiago and also near where the sisters died. I absolutely love the movie its missing a lot more to the history things that Trujillo did, his plans to assassinate the president of Colombia and other countries as well. I love how they each look like the Mirabal sisters. Salma Hayek did an amazing job and this was how i first knew about her from acting in this movie. I didn't know that there was still one more Mirabal sister alive the youngest i believe and shes maintaining and taking care of the town they group up in and there gardin they played in when they were little. Giving the other kids knowledge of there History. They made a video Documentary of her and her life now after all these years. I love Dominican Republic and all of my people i think the biggest issue in DR is Haitian Immigration. Its gotten out of hand i hope it gets better in the future. I love you DR. RIP Mirabal sisters QUE VIVA LAS MARIPOSAS!

General Rafael Leónidas Trujillo rules Dominican Republic from 1930 to 1961 with an iron fist. Minerva Mirabal (Salma Hayek) and her three sisters grew up on the farm. At school, Minerva catches the eye of Trujillo (Edward James Olmos). She starts to see injustices and wants to attend law school despite being forbidden for women. She falls for revolutionary Lio who escaped the country and called her butterfly. Minerva struggles against the attention of Trujillo and gains entrance into law school. After Lio's murder, she joins the resistance and Manolo Tavárez (Demian Bichir).

I'm very sure that this is a compelling historical story. The problem is that it's done without any tension or suspense. Hayek is too old to play the younger Minerva. It's hard for her to play naive and innocent. The director doesn't have the style and the story is written blandly.

By watching this movie, I was educated in that women are abused severely in so many other cultures for reasons we take for granted in the United States. I did not know that women in the Dominican Republic were abused and/or beaten to death for protesting corruptness. I am an American born Black woman of Hispanic origin (Puerto Rican heritage).

A lot of us born to Black women and Hispanic fathers outside of wedlock do not know much of our heritage due to the separation of our parents and most of us are raised solely as Black children. As an adult, I am embracing my Hispanic heritage. I need to learn more of my father's culture. I cannot learn from him because he has passed on, but he never stopped looking for his ángela negra pequeña.

I plan to use this movie in my English Literature class in honor of March's Women's month.

We must abolish domestic violence against women all over the world! Women are the creatures God put on this earth to reproduce. Such violence against women must end. What better place to deter violence against women than educating young men in school.

Please continue to bring new material to us.

Seems like it was written by someone without film schooling, or even kidergarten education. It has the need to remind us of how bad was Trujillo in every moment of the picture: No imagination, no intelligence, an insult to any educated viewer.

The acting is poor, someone even confused Marc Anthony with an actor, a recognized actress like Lumi Cavazos (Like Water for Chocolate) was given aproximately four lines in the entire movie, characters are non-existent, a butterfly would have more depth.

A portrayal of the horrors of that era deserves an infinitely better film.

This movie was poorly made. The story was plane and dull. I have noticed in the past that even if the story is lacking, the direction of the movie came bring it out more; however the director of this movie did not. I'd have to agree with another post on the casting of indigenous people. The movie was filmed in Mexico and almost everyone in the movie was Mexican. One could joke and say, "I didn't know there were that many Mexicans in DR." I'd say its more like, since the Dominicans are either black, white, or somewhere in between (mulattoes)...To have native Indians of AZTEC decent acting as Dominicans in a movie about the regime of Trujillo is as far off as having Japanese people acting as Germans in the regime of Hitler. The story focused too much on Minerva and no one else. This mistake was also very apparent. It is a good real life event in our history that we should know more about. I've noticed that many people who are not Dominican don't know of Trujillo and the horrors he brought to the DR. Someone should really consider making another movie about Minerva and her sisters with a more accurate representation.

This was a great movie. It taught me about struggles that people other than African Americans went through. It taught me about how i should appreciate my country and my freedom.This movie is the best movie i have yet to see. The actors were great and the movie kept me wanting to see more.This movie showed how greed,power,and money can affect a country.This movie is showed me that lots of people from all over the world went through some hard times. The Dominican republic never gained a strong government and thats why Americans should be grateful that we have a not great but good government and freedom of speech. I could not imagine having to live through the things they lived through. Even though the movies was not filmed in the Dominican Repubic or filmed with Dominicans it doesn't matter. Where it was made or who made it doesn't matter the fact is the story was told and the movie was made.