Eu and Mi, always

Introduction

Cutting his teeth working on TV (from shows as diverse as Boon and Cracker), Michael Winterbottom moved to the big screen with Butterfly Kiss. If you've not heard of this film, you might be aware of some of his other films, such as Welcome To Sarajevo, 24 Hour Party People and 9 Songs. He's certainly not afraid of a little controversy, as Butterfly Kiss shows.

Eunice (Amanda Plummer) is a lost soul with a penchant for violence and punishment, and an obsession with "Judith", a former lover who she is trying to find once more. Eunice roams the service stations of the north of England, looking for Judith, and a song that's about love, but isn't a love song. Frustrated by her inability to find either, she lashes out at those who cannot help her in her quest.



Then she meets Miriam (Saskia Reeves), who still can't help her, but is interested in her story, and the song. Miriam then becomes obsessed with Eunice, and promises that she will be with her wherever she goes. Eunice steals a car and violent relationship and road trip begins.

Video and Audio

We are presented with a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, which is pretty average for a 14 year old film. You could argue that this adds to the "gritty" nature of the film (or that it was done on purpose), but it's still a shame to me that films don't get the clean up that they deserve.



This film does nothing to dispel that old stereotype of "it's grim up North", since it paints nothing other than a picture of grimness. The sun is never shining, the skies are always grey. Streets are grim, motels are grim, petrol stations are grim. In fact the only thing that will bring a smile to your face is the price of petrol "back then"!

Back to technical things, and we also get a DD2.0 stereo soundtrack which is also nothing to write home about. You can hear everything that happens and it's all pretty serviceable. And if you don't like The Cranberries, avoid this film, since their music is very much in evidence (as it was generally in 1995).

Extra Features

Where have you been for the last 10 years? Films that are crying out for some interesting extras never get any!

Conclusion

It's taken me a long time to finish writing this review, as I've struggled to work out how to finish it off. A story of lost and damaged souls, looking for something to make them whole, and encountering a lot of trouble on the way.



The film is all about Amanda Plummer's performance as Eunice. Leaving aside her slightly odd accent which floats around various Northern counties and across to Ireland and back at times, this is probably her best ever performance. The chemistry between her and Saskia Reeves' naive Miriam is very evident, and alongside Close My Eyes, this is also arguably Reeves' strongest role.

The relationship between Eu & Mi (obviously a deliberate choice of character names) is a roller coaster ride, but Mi is drawn ever closer to Eu, no matter what devastation she leaves in her wake (mostly dead bodies). The narration by Mi draws the story together, and the revelation of the song about love, but isn't a love song, that Eu has been searching for, is also a nice moment.

Overall, this is quite a dark film which makes for challenging viewing but the strength of the performances makes the challenge worthwhile. Sadly the DVD is another lacklustre effort, but that's what we've (cynically) come to expect from releases of films such as this one.