Les Papillons Noirs
“Black Butterflies” (2022) TV Series Review
When it comes to French cinema, I remember watching a terrific French TV series ‘Black Butterflies’ on Netflix. It’s a thrilling drama mini-series created by Bruno Merle and Olivier Abbou, originally titled ‘Les Papillons noirs’ in French. The series is set in both past and present France and consists of a brief 6 intriguing episodes.
Released in 2022, ‘Black Butterflies’ follows the story of Adrien Winckler (Nicolas Duvauchelle), a novelist tasked with writing a memoir about an elderly man, Albert Desiderio (Niels Arestrup).
Albert is suffering from kidney disease and doesn’t have much time left in the world, so he wants to leave his story before he passes away. Instead of narrating his life in a general sense, Albert chooses to begin his tale when he meets his true love, Solange (Alyzée Costes). A sweet romance story gradually transforms into a series of tragic murder confessions. Adrien becomes torn between continuing his job of writing Albert’s story or reporting these criminal activities to the police.
The opening sequence of the series is quite intriguing. It begins with a brief scene of a young child sitting at the dining table, watching a blue butterfly that suddenly turns black. A bowl of cereal and milk spills onto the table, accompanied by faint screams from behind a door.
Later, we will come to know that the young child in that scene is Adrien — our protagonist. This early scene serves as a crucial clue in concluding ‘Black Butterflies’.
Episode by episode, Albert illustrates his adventures with Solange as they go on vacation while continuing their actions.
Dozens of lives are sacrificed for passion, love, and the glory of youth. As we traverse through time, we are presented with moments whose consequences still have an impact today, leading us to the supporting characters closely connected to Albert’s story.
Plot twists keep emerging in the final episodes. It’s not hard to see Adrien starting to lose his moral compass and beginning to move between right and wrong as he becomes entangled in Albert and Solange’s story. The line between fiction and reality blurs, leaving anyone watching puzzled, even though all the clues have been presented since the series began.
Initially, ‘Black Butterflies’ appears to be a typical psychological thriller film, delving into the slow-burn confessions of a serial killer. However, as we delve deeper into Albert’s story, we simultaneously plunge into a dark chasm filled with secrets and grim facts.
This mini-series explores many elements with a reasonably satisfying execution. Supporting characters intertwined with the main story may seem forced at times, but in reality, they seamlessly blend into the narrative.
Complicated might be a fitting word to describe ‘Black Butterflies’. A solid murder mystery intertwined with themes of love and deception culminates in a complex and perfect drama.
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