Butterfly Man

There is little doubt that this is a very low budget film. It has that "shot on a home video camera from 1989" look, and everything--the directing, acting, editing, and so on--is a bit rough around the edges. You're either familiar or not familiar with this kind of "guerilla" film-making. If you're familiar with it, you know what to expect and know whether you should avoid Butterfly Man based on your opinion of those kinds of films, which have to be watched a bit differently than the high gloss stuff. If you're not familiar with it, don't initiate yourself with this film, because this is a pretty good one, and you don't want to waste the experience on trying to acclimate yourself to the style.

The first sign of success is that to a large extent Butterfly Man feels like a transparent home movie made by Adam (Stuart Laing). The film somewhat vacillates between a rough travelogue, almost ala "Globe Trekker" (which happens to be my favorite travel series of all time), and a more normal narrative. It's an iffy mixture that ends up working quite well here. It also affords a stronger immersion in Thailand as a foreign culture, which is very important to the plot.

Because the film begins more like a travelogue with a thin dramatic overlay, it's something of a surprise as it turns into a "hell-in-a-handbasket" film with a well-constructed thriller plot. Unfortunately, this is a case where a fat budget would have helped immensely, but writer/director Kaprice Kea and crew still do a more than decent job with the resources available. The ending is also notable for being very unusual, poetic and admirable. Fans of recent microbudget indies shouldn't miss this one and everyone else should check out five or six of the crappy recent micro-budget indies before coming back to some of the good ones like this film and Milk and Honey (2003).

Adam arrives in Bangkok with his girlfriend and they abruptly split- up over a minor disagreement, but the relationship's been on the slide for a while and when Adam finds his significant other in the guesthouse room next door with a dreadlocked sandal seller we know the honeymoon is truly over. Thailand has a habit of testing Western boy-girl-relationships and in this case the couple split in less than 24 hours.

The lovers split their separate ways and Adam heads to Ko Samui, determined to see out his holiday. Here he meets a character many of us know (and if we don't know one we might just be him) - the middle- aged boozy expat not above dalliance with indigenous females – Joey - played brilliantly in this case by Francis Magee. Joey convinces Adam to visit a massage joint where we're introduced to Em the beautiful masseuse who Adam falls for and thus begins the vortex, the downward spiral, the lies, the mistruths, the deceptions that often follow an East / West relationship. Em retains her typical Thai conservative streak, hoping perhaps Adam will hold out for marriage and the house in the village. Inpatient and frustrated Adam hooks up with Noi one of the many bargirls on the beach and has to confess to Em that he has suddenly metamorphosed into a straight up, genuine Butterfly Man – a lover who goes from lady to lady, taking a piece of pollen from each as he so does. But Lady Fate doesn't smile on those men who spread it about on the islands, things continue to spiral down for Adam his triangular love affair leading to him being drugged, and robbed and finally having to beg on the beach in a charming sequence of som nom na – serves' you right.

Our old friend Joey returns and offers Adam a chance to make some quick cash on the neighboring Ko Phangnan. After some indecision he makes it over to meet a character named No Name, a statuesque blond, played by Abigail Good who pedals a shady sideline.

Adam uncovers a human trafficking ring and rescues Em by stowing her away on a boat where she lies in his arms, having married him in a brief ceremony conducted by the charmingly Thai boat captain. Events unfold in a tragically entertaining fashion and this is all weaved together seamlessly as the final twist and turns lead Adam to Em's Isaan village where he is making a new life for himself in the real Thailand.

Overall a rewarding picture. The score by Stephen Bentley-Klein is worth mentioning along with the title track by Skye Edwards (formally of the band Morcheeba). Producer Tom Waller did a sterling job putting it all together and the cinematography was at times sublime. The acting from the foreign cast was impressive throughout and a few roles really shone. A film entitled Butterfly Man was bound to have the odd Thai / foreigner cliché, and was at times charmingly naïve, but that doesn't take anything away from the movie. This is in many ways a better, more honest movie than Danny Boyle's adaptation of The Beach and for those who first came to the Kingdom before the omnipresent mobile telephone, cyber stickers, and emjois Butterfly Man is a nostalgic treat full of personal memories and hidden rewards and it is well worth hunting down a copy or a download.

I wanted to see this movie only because it was filmed in Koh Samui, one of my favorite places. Koh Samui is a hidden gem (at least hidden to most Americans) and I would describe this movie in the same way.

Notwithstanding the negative comments of others, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a compelling film. Low budget, and a bit simplistic, but nonetheless very moving. With her broken English, Napakpapha Nakpprassite conveys a beauty and vulnerability that was extremely effective. If you want to see a movie that captures the life and the beauty but also the desperation that you can find on the islands of Thailand, skip "The Beach" and watch this instead.

Butterfly Man is a touching and complex movie about the despair and hope of a British backpacker who finds a deeper sense of purpose in the colorful and beautiful world he experiences in Thailand. The visuals of this movie will make you feel that you are in an island paradise yourself, as they're filled with prelapserian visions of purity and sweetness.

Plus, there's a truly wonderful theme underneath the movie: the dangers of Colonialism and expansion, and the exploitation that such endeavors come with. I really liked this movie.

The two main characters, Adam and Em, acted expertly by Stuart Laing and Napakpapha "Mamee" Nakprasitte, share a passionate bond, one that will make you believe in the redemptive and soulful power of compassion.

This film starts off like so many others with a couple on holiday in a remote and utterly stunning background, usually in Asia. Unlike the rest this film explores the contrast of Thailand from the picturesque beaches for relaxing and gazing as the sun sets to the other extreme. It begins slowly letting the audience be encaptured by the swaying palm trees and secluded spots and then accelerates into a excellent drama about the redemption of a man. The location shots are something to revel in as they bring out the raw beauty of Thailand.

Featuring an ex Eastenders star could have made this film go from beauty to action thriller a matter of minutes but neither the director or the actors portray any sense of improbability. The plot is closely driven to show the change that Thailand has gone under.

Everything considered this makes refreshing watching compared with the Hollywood rota changing between the very sentimental and the very action packed. With its underlying message this film shows that nothing is truly pure and that things only last for a short time.

Grade B