"lav diaz short film"

In which violence is not an answer nor a solution, but a reaction. I think the 60 minute cut is better, but I couldn't find anywhere. If there's ever an opportunity to go to the Philippines, here's hoping it is black and white and full of despair.

I think I should find the one-hour director's cut since this 40-minute cut felt rather like summary or demonstration. Many of the things felt too vague and when I look at the write-ups of some of the others who saw this film, I think as if I'd seen different one. It's quiet and reduced like others, cinematic expression is minimalist to the point that it feels almost non-existent but Diaz' work has always been the kind of cinema that gains its strength in its overall atmosphere and structure. Unlike others I've seen, Butterflies Have No Memories didn't manage to do a thing for me. Usually with Diaz, he manages to hurt me even physically (raping scene in Norte f.e.) but I failed to "live" this film. To be frank, it felt too hurried - not exactly something you expect to see from Diaz. Waiting for the 61-minute cut!

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

This film shows just how much of a hold memories have over us, whether it be from trauma or nostalgia. The distinction lies in how they are remembered and by who. These are the riddles Diaz is most fond of investigating.
This is always traced back to the political event. Often an actual historical event, it must be dealt with painstakingly.
What's interesting is that it is retorted not with direct commentary, but with poetry. Instead of statistics, we are made to empathize with a person's suffering. Instead of charts or graphs, we are given metaphors and symbols to feel and define things ourselves.

This is a loose framework Diaz holds on to throughout his filmography. That makes this short film actually a good starting point for those intimidated by his longer work.

That final scene has been playing in my head for double-digit hours all the same and it will be in my memory for much much longer.

#70HoursOfDiaz

Hour 54

Only Diaz could create a film that's an hour long and still have it classified as a "short"

Those fuckers took all the gold and left all the toxins.

If you want to understand Filipinx society from one of the best filmmakers on the planet then Lav Díaz is your man & here the colonial influences (Christianity,) and exploitation bubble quick and fast (for Díaz who is known for his eight hour slow cinema). Only reason it’s not 5 stars is the Canadian actor was a tad wooden )maybe that’s the point though).

Basically Díaz is a genius.

Diaz has proved his credentials as a master filmmaker over the years but seems to have a reputation of really long films, this at just over the hour mark is as good as anything he's done.
Also check out his 8 min short Himala A Dialectic of Our Times.

my first lav diaz film... starting off with something short.

basically a crime film in arthouse style slow pace. the dialogue was overtly blunt with its social themes, which makes it awkward but sorta has it own charms. loved the ending.

I’m not a big fan of films which last more than 3 hours (there are a few exceptions, though), which is why I never had much interest in the work of the revered Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz. However, after stumbling across his ‘short’ – one hour long drama ‘Butterflies Have No Memories’ – I decided to give it a go. With my attention divided between forcing myself to sit through it, while constantly checking the watch, and silently cursing my curiosity, I ended up regretting not being a butterfly (no pun intended). In other words, I found it utterly bland, uninvolving, aesthetically impoverished, yet not even awful enough to hate it with a passion. It felt like a combination of an extremely flat, ‘socially conscious’ (pseudo) documentary and cheap soap-opera desperately trying to simulate an art film. So, I guess it goes without saying that I have zero intention of exposing myself to more of Diaz cinema.

2.5

Those fuckers took all the gold and left all the toxins.

If you want to understand Filipinx society from one of the best filmmakers on the planet then Lav Díaz is your man & here the colonial influences (Christianity,) and exploitation bubble quick and fast (for Díaz who is known for his eight hour slow cinema). Only reason it’s not 5 stars is the Canadian actor was a tad wooden )maybe that’s the point though).

Basically Díaz is a genius.

Diaz has proved his credentials as a master filmmaker over the years but seems to have a reputation of really long films, this at just over the hour mark is as good as anything he's done.
Also check out his 8 min short Himala A Dialectic of Our Times.

Despair is a bitch

I hope i am not the only one who watched the 42mins cut. Hope there will be a 1hr cut!

Acredito que esse seja um ótimo filme para entender o "estilo" de Lav Díaz. Múltiplos Núcleos, Planos longos com ênfase no tempo e, de certa forma, anticlimático de uma forma boa. Vale muito a pena.

This film shows just how much of a hold memories have over us, whether it be from trauma or nostalgia. The distinction lies in how they are remembered and by who. These are the riddles Diaz is most fond of investigating.
This is always traced back to the political event. Often an actual historical event, it must be dealt with painstakingly.
What's interesting is that it is retorted not with direct commentary, but with poetry. Instead of statistics, we are made to empathize with a person's suffering. Instead of charts or graphs, we are given metaphors and symbols to feel and define things ourselves.

This is a loose framework Diaz holds on to throughout his filmography. That makes this short film actually a good starting point for those intimidated by his longer work.

That final scene has been playing in my head for double-digit hours all the same and it will be in my memory for much much longer.