''Butterfly's Tongue'' or ''Butterfly'' ( es, La lengua de las mariposas ; may be more literally translated as "''The Tongue of the Butterflies''"), is a 1999 Spanish film directed by

José Luis Cuerda José Luis Cuerda Martínez (18 February 19474 February 2020) was a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer. He was born in Albacete and died on 4 February 2020 at the age of 72 in Madrid from an embolism. He won four Goya Awards: in 1 ...

. The film centers on Moncho (Manuel Lozano) and his

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can be ...

experience in

Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...

in 1936. Moncho develops a close relationship with his teacher Don Gregorio (

Fernando Fernán Gómez Fernando Fernández Gómez (28 August 1921 – 21 November 2007) better known as Fernando Fernán Gómez was a Spanish actor, screenwriter, film director, theater director and member of the Royal Spanish Academy for seven years. He was born i ...

), who introduces the boy to different things in the world. While the story centres on Moncho's ordinary coming-of-age experiences, tensions related to the looming

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

periodically interrupt Moncho's personal growth and daily life. The film is adapted from three short stories from the 1996 book ' by Galician author Manuel Rivas. The short stories are "A lingua das bolboretas", "Un saxo na néboa", and "Carmiña". The film received some critical acclaim. It was nominated for the 2000

Goya Award The Goya Awards ( es, Premios Goya) are Spain's main national annual film awards, commonly referred to as the Academy Awards of Spain. The awards were established in 1987, a year after the founding of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sci ...

for Best Picture, and it won the Goya Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. ''Butterfly's Tongue'' also has a 96% rating on RottenTomatoes.com.Butterfly - Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast

as Don Gregorio * as Moncho * Elena Fernandez as Carmiña * as Rosa * as Ramón * as Andrés

Plot

In a Galician town in the 1930s, a young boy, Moncho, goes to school for the first time and is taught by Don Gregorio about life and literature. At first, Moncho is afraid that the teachers will hit him, since that was the standard procedure, but he is relieved to discover that Don Gregorio does not hit his pupils. Don Gregorio is unlike the other teachers; he builds a special relationship with Moncho, teaching him to love learning. Don Gregorio teaches him about the butterfly’s tongue on a field trip through the woods, with Moncho having an asthma attack and being assisted by Don Gregorio. Don Gregorio also builds a special relationship with Moncho's father, who is a Republican like him. At this period in Spain, the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

and the

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...

factions are fighting a civil war, forcing people to take sides. Moncho's mother is lukewarm towards the Republic, her main concern being belief in God; she eventually sides with the Nationalist rebels. When Nationalists take control of the town, they round up known Republicans, including Don Gregorio. As Moncho's father is a Republican, his family fears that he too will be arrested if the Nationalists discover his political leanings. In order to protect themselves, the family goes to the town square to jeer the captured Republicans as they are paraded out of the courthouse and put on a truck. The film ends with Moncho, despite his continued great affection for his friend and teacher, yelling hateful things and throwing rocks at Don Gregorio and the other Republicans, as instructed by his mother, as the truck carries them away, although the last thing Moncho yells are the words for the tongue of a butterfly, ''espiritrompa'' (Spanish for "

proboscis A proboscis () is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a proboscis is an elong ...

"), a favorite word taught to him by Don Gregorio, in an attempt to let his dear friend know that he does not truly mean the words he is yelling.

References

External links

* * * {{Mojo title, butterfly 1999 films Spanish war drama films 1990s Spanish-language films Films about anarchism Spanish Civil War films Films set in Galicia (Spain) Films with screenplays by Rafael Azcona 1990s Spanish films Films directed by José Luis Cuerda