Itonje Søimer Guttormsen's 'Butterfly' premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival, featuring Renate Reinsve as a punkish artist grappling with family estrangement. The film blends comedy and drama in a Gran Canaria setting, following two sisters investigating their mother's mysterious death. Critics note its colorful tone but critique its overlong third act.
'Butterfly,' directed by Itonje Søimer Guttormsen, unfolds on the vibrant island of Gran Canaria, a backdrop of parched mountains and fluorescent tourist kitsch that underscores the story's tonal chaos. The narrative centers on sisters Lily and Diana, played by Renate Reinsve and Helene Bjørneby, who reunite after the death of their free-spirited mother, Vera, portrayed by Lillian Müller. Vera's body is discovered in an isolated observatory tower, prompting the siblings to probe the circumstances amid revelations of her recent affair with hippy Chato, played by Numan Acar, and plans for a spiritual sanctuary.
Reinsve's Lily, a former model now immersed in Hamburg's art scene with bleached eyebrows, a septum piercing, and bold attire like latex and leopard print, contrasts sharply with Bjørneby's straitlaced Diana, a kindergarten teacher from small-town Norway. The film opens with a dizzying aerial shot tracking a butterfly and Vera toward the tower, setting a dreamlike tone that evolves into anguished conversations soundtracked by pulsating EDM.
Early scenes deliver brittle comedy from cultural clashes, such as Lily's poolside entrance in a black PVC swimsuit, and skepticism toward Vera's esoteric cohorts. As the story deepens, it uncovers layers of familial pain and trauma, with Reinsve and Bjørneby conveying vulnerability and resolve. However, the third act extends into multiple endings, shifting to earnest sentimentality that clashes with the film's spikier elements, leading one character to remark, “we could use some kind of closure.”
Cinematographer David Raedeker's roving camera captures the island's austere beauty and tackiness under unrelenting sunlight, complemented by Erik Ljunggren's agitated electro score. Reviewed in the Big Screen competition at the Rotterdam Film Festival on February 4, 2026, the 116-minute Norwegian-Swedish-U.K.-German co-production runs multilingual in Norwegian, English, Spanish, and German.
