Review of M. Butterfly (1993) by Stuart K — 10 Aug 2010

After the release of Naked Lunch (1991), David Cronenberg made a bit of a departure from the horrors that he normally did, by adapting David Henry Hwang's award winning play for the big screen. At the time, alot of critics attacked it for being a cheap cash-in on The Crying Game.

Quite unfair, but look again, it's more Cronenbergian than what some people would lead you to believe. Set in Beijing in 1964, it has French Diplomat René Gallimard (Jeremy Irons), who becomes obsessed with a Chinese opera performer Song (John Lone), who is actually spying on Gallimard for the Chinese Government.

But, Gallimard begins an affair with Song, although Song is actually a male, but Gallimard is willfully unaware of this. But, when Gallimard is promoted to the French Ambassador's intelligence division, the relationship gets more dangerous, and Gallimard even commits treason by telling secret information to Song, unaware that Song is passing it on, which eventually has dire consequences.

It is a lesser film in Cronenberg's CV, his biggest departure since the racing film Fast Company (1979), and also his first film to be shot outside Canada. But, it is a rich, lavish film brilliantly designed, beautifully photographed and well acted.

If this is a departure for Cronenberg, then A Dangerous Method (2011) looks to be one as well.