The Butterfly

A pair of beguiling and well-matched performances turn what might have been a cloying children's movie into a bittersweet heart-warmer in this French confection that eschews cuteness in favor of character. Michel Serrault (La Cage aux Folles) stars as a kindly old grump of an amateur entomologist, while button-eyed, freckled, eight-year-old Claire Bouanich matches wits with him as a lonesome latchkey-kid neighbor who stows away in his car as he departs for a long hike in the Alps to find an elusive butterfly. While the film sometimes seems too expedient in its plotting, Serrault strikes a perfect balance of acerbic edge, surly sense of humor, and emerging affection. It's Bouanich, however, who makes the picture captivating: quiet yet curious, bold but not bratty, this moon-faced little girl captures the tarnished innocence of a child who is accustomed to having the blues--a girl on the verge of realizing she hasn't anyone to count on but herself, yet instinctively casting about for a grown-up she can rely upon for the kind of nurturing fondness her ingenuous heart still expects. Warm, sweet, and sharper than you'd expect, The Butterfly is recommended. (R. Blackwelder)