M Butterfly - A Movie Review

M Butterfly – A Movie Review
By
Imari Jade
M. Butterfly is a 1993 film written by David Henry Hwang about a relationship between a French diplomat Bernard Boursicot (played by Jeremy Irons) and opera singer Shi Pei Pu (played by John Love). It is based on a true story.
Premise – I can’t say too much without giving away the surprise ending of the hour and forty minute film. It’s a case of love at first sight for Bernard Boursicot when he attends an opera accompanied by his wife. Bernard furiously peruses the coy and mysterious opera singer, to whom he calls “my butterfly,” until Shi Pei Pu finally gives in and agrees to become his lover. And in the end Bernard Boursicot learns that his precious Shi Pei Pu, who he left his wife for and lost his job over, has kept lots of secrets from him.
Review – This is a case where both characters got what they deserved in the end. I expected to watch a beautiful multicultural romance grow. But from the beginning it appeared to be only one-sided (Boursicot), who steps out on his wife and forcefully gains entrance into Shi Pei Pu’s home in Peking.
I really never felt the love between these two characters. Boursicot looked for an Oriental woman who could love a Western man, even though he was poor and who would serve him unconditionally. Shi Pei Pu just wanted to survive the harsh conditions of that time. She also desired to be famous. I felt she only agreed to be with him because he kept bothering her and showing up at her home at outrages hours of the night and for what he could do for her.
Warning – This film does have two or three nude scenes. (And not even good ones).
Like the Sixth Sense, it is one of those films that once you know the ending you might not want to see again. I recommend this film only if you are a Jeremy Irons fan, or if you just have a love for Asian movies.