DRUNKEN BUTTERFLIES: THE DIRECTORS CUT- A film about violence, drugs, infidelity, sex, death, youth, vajazzles and making new friends.
DRUNKEN BUTTERFLIES: A film about violence, drugs, infidelity, sex, death, youth, vajazzles and making new friends. About the fights we start and the ones we're forced to finish.
DRUNKEN BUTTERFLIES is a film about becoming, and all the pressures, temptations, friendships and conflicts that shape the person we turn into - often a very long way from the person we expected to be. It is a snapshot of a turning point in the lives of six young women.
DRUNKEN BUTTERFLIES: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT now on Vimeo on Demand
When DRUNKEN BUTTERFLiES was first unleashed...
When DRUNKEN BUTTERFLiES was first unleashed, with screenings from Newcastle to NewYork City. Reviews praised its fresh, authentic approach to the teen movie genre, while YouTube clips racked up views in the tens of thousands. There was controversy too, as older people slammed the film for the teen carnage on show, especially since it was not men but young women causing the chaos.
The film was picked up by US channel KCETLink, who broadcast the film dozens of times. This television cut attracted praise from some prestigious sources. Filmmakers often talk about how watching your film with an audience changes your perception of it. In this case, the audience was global, and their response gave birth to an opportunity.
Filming brand new material, gathering new interviews, and trawling the original 50+ hours of footage for hidden subtexts and overlooked gold, director Garry Sykes began slowly piecing together a new film. The idea was to restore the television version to feature length, but to do so in a world that had evolved in step with the film. Many of the issues it raised, particularly around class and growing up female, have become pressing mainstays of our politics and our culture. This new film would take a deeper dive into the world of its characters and the challenges they face, going hard on ideas that had only been hinted at before.
The Director's Cut moves away from the 'scripted reality' aesthetic of the original, in favour of a more nuanced, character-driven approach...
The Director's Cut moves away from the 'scripted reality' aesthetic of the original, in favour of a more nuanced, character-driven approach, bolstered by the incredibly naturalistic performances of the cast. While retaining all the shock and humour of the original, this cut is more Mike Leigh than reality TV. The extra time spent filming in the city means that Newcastle itself, previously a backdrop, is now a character in it's own right, providing a rich and complex context for our story. And the story itself has changed, in some ways subtle, and in others that will be surprising to anyone familiar with the original.
Six years since the original release, DRUNKEN BUTTERFLIES: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT feels more
relevant and resonant than ever. We hope it is a film with something to say to anyone who is or has ever been a teenager.
DRUNKEN BUTTERFLIES: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT now on Vimeo on Demand
