Main Cast: Amanda Plummer, Saskia Reeves, Paul Bown, Freda Dowie, Fine Time Fontayne
Release Year: 1995
Country: UK
Run Time: 85 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
This unsettling variation on Thelma and Louise (1991) is an unusual and often macabre love story/black comedy about two peculiar women, played by Amanda Plummer and Saskia Reeves, who roam through Northern England on a killing spree. Plummer is Eunice, a tattooed, schizophrenic free spirit who is wandering in search of her recently departed lover, Judith. She leaves one gas station attendant dead when the person admits to not being Judith. But when she meets Miriam (Reeves), another gas station attendant who longs for love and attention, Eunice doesn't ask the fatal question. Strangely captivated by the eccentric woman, Miriam spends the night with Eunice and falls under her peculiar charm, Calling each other "Eu" and "Mi," they hit the road, where they murder anyone who gets in their way. Both women sense that their actions will ultimately bring about a tragic end, but their dedication to their cause (rebelling against men who trivialize and demean women everywhere) and their love for one another gives them the strength to carry on. Though Plummer's Eunice seems to have the upper hand through most of the film, it is the sacrifice that "Mi" makes for "Eu" that catches and holds the viewer at the conclusion of this bizarre little tale. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
Review
One of Michael Winterbottom's breakthrough films, Butterfly Kiss finds the prolific and adaptive director putting his own spin on the lovers-on-the-lam genre to disturbing effect. Without shying away from the elements of violence and revenge, Winterbottom places his emphasis on the desperate need of his characters. The fetish gear that Amanda Plummer wears beneath her clothing, for instance, works both as a sign of her strength and as a tangible symbol of her suffering. Both Plummer and Saskia Reeves deliver convincing performances. As a trigger-happy schizophrenic, Plummer has the flashier role, but Reeves proves every bit as convincing as a woman so exhausted with her life that she goes along for the ride in this deeply interesting spin on both Thelma and Louise and Natural Born Killers. ~ Keith Phipps, All Movie Guide
Desmond McAleer - Eric McDermott; Ricky Tomlinson - Robert; Emily Aston - Katie; Paula Tilbrook - Ella; Kelly - Kelly
Credit
Sarah Daniel - Associate Producer, Steve Lindsey - Consultant/advisor, Rachael Fleming - Costume Designer, David Pearson - First Assistant Director, Terry Bamber - First Assistant Director, Michael Winterbottom - Director, Trevor Waite - Editor, John Harle - Composer (Music Score), Ronald Bailey - Musical Direction/Supervision, Rupert Miles - Production Designer, Seamus Mcgarvey - Cinematographer, Julie Baines - Producer, Frank Cottrell Boyce - Screenwriter, Bill Thompson - Second Assistant Director
