The filmmaking in Butterfly vacillates between not complementing the emotions of the characters and relying too heavily on cliches, which evoke unintended laughter. For instance, there is a scene meant to create tension where two children are missing, and their anxious aunt, Geetha (played by Anupama Parameswaran), searches for them throughout their apartment complex. However, the static, wide-angle shot from a distance of Geetha undoing her crucial urgency and anxiety fails to evoke the intended emotions. This example highlights the film's fundamental problems with staging. The use of a handheld camera and close-ups might have helped the filmmaker convey the apprehension and uncertainty Geetha is experiencing. The film's creative decisions create a significant gap between the audience and the story. The audience never really cares about the missing children, nor do they empathize with Geetha, who is having a terrible day. The numerous intercuts to Geetha's difficult childhood do not add value to the story and appear to be pompous attempts at melodrama. The excessive use of music, often sentimental, makes it seem like the film is attempting to parody itself. Furthermore, the poorly-timed attempts at comedy involving the apartment residents end up being unfunny and impede the viewer's already limited attention towards the film.

Cast: Anupama Parameswaran, Nihal Kodhaty, Bhumika Chawla, Rao Ramesh, Praveen

Directed by: Ghanta Satish Babu

Streaming On: Disney+Hotstar

Butterfly does not suffer from the problem of a well-written story losing its appeal due to poor execution. Rather, it is a painfully obvious script from the start. In the very first conversation between Geetha and her elder sister Vyjayanti (played by Bhoomika Chawla), Geetha refers to her sister as 'amma.' The elder sister corrects her, saying, "I have told you many times to not call me amma, call me akka." Geetha's auto-complete response is predictable, with her saying, "I don't have a mother, you are my mother," which is a typical cliche line found in many movies. It's no wonder that "cliche" is one of the most commonly used words in movie reviews.

There is an attempt at layered storytelling, with parallels being drawn between the Virata Parva chapter of Mahabharatham. However, the editing choices give away the ending of the film during this discussion, which is perhaps the only intriguing idea in the entire film.

Anupama Parameswaran's performance is perhaps the only redeeming quality of the film. She plays an exhausted, helpless woman thrown into a challenging situation, and she portrays frustration and exhaustion convincingly. These are the same emotions that viewers may experience while watching this amateurish film.