The plot centers on a latchkey kids and Elsa. She's befriended by an elderly neighbor (Michel Serrault) in her building. When he goes looking for a special butterfly in the mountains, she hides in his car without telling anyone.

Michel Serrault does an excellent job with the material as Julien, the eldery neighbor, but there's no saving this 80-minute film. The entire second act drags (tough to do in a film less than an hour and a half long), and the entire third act feels tacked on, as if writer/director Philippe Muyl had no way to end the film.

The one saving grace is the cinematography of Nicolas Herdt. The entire butterfly hunt looks beautiful, colorful and so peaceful. Herdt and Muyl do a great job of contrasting the free and open mountain hike with the cold and gray of the city.

Final Thoughts: The Butterfly tries to find a whimsical tone, a place where it can pull on the heartstrings. Instead, with its short running time and lack of character arc, the film comes closer to replicating an after-school special.