Float Like a Butterfly

The Irish Film Festival burst into Melbourne with Carmel Winter’s premiere film, Float Like a Butterfly. Based in a tight gypsy community, viewers are introduced to our protagonist, Frances (Doupe), an inspired boxer, her gentle brother Michael (Devany), and her drunk father (Collins). A fable funded on the ideas of family, trust and lost relationships, Float Like a Butterfly delves deeply into the poignant reality of death, and its effect on those around it.

After the loss of their mother results in their father’s (unrelated) arrest, the plot propels forward, rippling around this central pivot and its emotional impact. As the years pass, Frances continues her love of fighting, while continually protecting her younger and gentler brother, Michael, from bullies. After learning that her father has finally been released, Frances grows nervous with the impending confrontation, and is unsure on how to greet her long lost dad. Better yet, she is also uncertain on how he will take to the now grown Michael, who was only a toddler when the latter was arrested.

Unfamiliar, lost and disconnected, the trio maintain a frantic level of flux between themselves, and attempt to deepen their connection as the story pushes itself forward. The father is an especially contrasting character, flipping between the two sides of his personality throughout each scene. Torn between his love for Frances and Michael, and the shame from being unable to save their mother, he teeters on the line frantically, struggling to find balance. Moments of gentleness, where he sees Frances as a direct reflection of his deceased partner, are often juxtaposed with the crude treatment of Michael, whose lack of dominance seems to frustrate him.

Two particular scenes stood out to me during the screening. The first being when the father, seeing Frances’ dominance over Michael as the figure of authority, forces the younger boy to slap his sister as a form of “submission”. The true horror of the scene is silent and drawn, scraping the audience in an uncomfortable image, a cold pit in the stomach. The second scene follows shortly, as the drunk dad slapped Frances twice, with the second hit resulting in her retaliation and knocking him out cold. It’s almost a triumphant moment, and some audience members even applauded the brave action.

These two scenarios seem crucial in pinpointing the true emotional impact of the film itself. Despite its superficial tone about boxing, the actual nature of this story is one about the consequences of grief and trauma. I found myself clutching at my partners hand, heart aching as the father and daughter both struggled to find a place in each other’s lives despite their differences. While it is difficult to see the dad as anything but an antagonist, those small happy instants littered throughout lighten his character, and aids in his clemency towards the finale.

Ultimately, Float Like a Butterfly is a film to evoke laughter and tears. Its boxing theme is a stronger metaphor for the battle that Frances and her family brace after her mother’s death. While not the most technically shot in terms of cinematography, this film makes up for its basic stylistic elements with an emotionally complex, poignant and empathetic taste on life after death.

Float Like a Butterfly 
Part of the Irish Film Festival 2019
irishfilmfestival.com.au