Black Butterflies

Ingrid and Anna Jonker are two young girls who live a humble life in a seaside shack, cared for by their elderly grandmother. Their quiet existence takes a sudden turn one stormy night when Anna rushes into Ingrid’s room, crying that their grandmother is not breathing. The girls’ grandmother is soon taken away in a hearse, and amidst this somber moment, the arrival of Abraham Jonker, a politician played by Rutger Hauer, adds a complex layer to their lives. Abraham is shocked to find that the girls are barefoot, and when Anna inquires about what to call him, he responds simply, “Call me ‘Pa,’” establishing a complicated, emotionally distant relationship.

Decades later, around 1960, an adult Ingrid Carice van Houten is shown swimming alone near the affluent suburb of Clifton in Cape Town. She struggles briefly against the current and begins to go under, intensifying the scene with her cries for help. A man onshore named Jack Cope, a novelist played by Liam Cunningham, hears her and leaps into the water to rescue her. When they reach the shore, Jack introduces himself, and Ingrid, overwhelmed with emotion, reveals that she has read his novel and that it helped her through difficult times. Jack is visibly moved, especially when she calls him “the poet Ingrid Jonker,” a name that signifies her admiration and recognition of her talent.

Their brief encounter hints at a deeper emotional connection that soon develops into something more complex. Ingrid’s sister Anna interrupts, informing Ingrid that their father is waiting for her. Abraham, her father, then appears, requesting Ingrid to give her a ride to her home, where her estranged husband, Pieter Venter, has asked to see her. Ingrid dismisses Pieter, asserting that they have nothing in common. In her modest apartment shared with Anna and her infant daughter, Ingrid faces the reality of her tumultuous personal life. Pieter pleads for another chance, but Ingrid remains hesitant.

Later, Jack invites Ingrid to a gathering with his bohemian literary friends, an invitation she gratefully accepts, choosing her artistic pursuits over her strained relationship with Pieter. At the party, she witnesses the harsh realities of apartheid when a black writer laments the censorship and banning of his novel by the Censorship Board, which is headed by Ingrid’s father, Abraham. The writer’s story underscores the oppressive political climate, with police confiscating his work and destroying years of his efforts. A white police officer intervenes during their trip to Nyanga, a black township, attempting to harass the writer. During this period, it is revealed that Abraham Jonker is a staunch supporter of the White Supremacist National Party and the chair of the Censorship Board, making him a symbol of the oppressive regime.

Ingrid’s relationship with Jack deepens as she shows him a poem she wrote in his honor, explaining that his novel saved her life. Their bond quickly turns romantic, and Jack, who longs for a stable family, pleads with Ingrid and her daughter to move in with him. Despite her growing feelings, Ingrid is troubled—Jack refuses to marry her, citing his emotional exhaustion and inability to produce new work, which he claims is draining him. He plans to leave for a few months to finish his novel, prompting Ingrid to feel devastated and desperately try to convince him to stay or bring her along. Her emotional turmoil eventually leads her to have a secret abortion.

As Jack is away, Ingrid’s loneliness leads her to pursue other relationships. She later meets Eugene Maritz, a novelist who is something of a rising star in Afrikaans literature. Out of frustration and loneliness, Ingrid seduces Eugene, which causes tension when Jack returns and discovers the affair, leading him to dismiss Ingrid from his life. Her despair intensifies as she witnesses the brutal violence of apartheid firsthand, including a police shooting that kills a black child. This traumatic event fuels her most famous poem, Die Kind, in which she portrays the child as a martyr and subtly hints that apartheid’s end is inevitable.

Throughout her life, Ingrid struggles with her relationship with her father, who is depicted as a cold, authoritarian figure. He dismisses her political dissent, rips apart her poems, and criticizes her promiscuity, calling her “a slut.” Her defiance and pain lead her into periods of depression and psychosis, resulting in her being committed to Valkenberg Hospital. During her stay, Jack visits her and learns she had an abortion without telling him, fearing he would only marry her for that reason. Despite her mental health struggles, she continues to write poetry, and her work is compiled into the acclaimed collection Rook an Ochre, which she dedicates to Jack and Uys Krige.

Her success brings her opportunities to travel to Europe, a dream she finally realizes. Before leaving, she visits her father, who admits that he considered banning her book but refrained due to fear of scandal. Their conversation is bitter, filled with accusations and prejudice, with her father condemning her and refusing to see her again. Ingrid asks Jack to accompany her, but he cannot due to restrictions placed on him by the government because of his political views. Instead, she travels with Eugene.

In Europe, her emotional state deteriorates, and she suffers another miscarriage, resulting in her hospitalization in Paris and a subsequent forced electroconvulsive therapy, which her father approves. Upon her return to South Africa, Ingrid finds it impossible to write and is visibly broken. One night, she visits Jack, giving him her medal and a poem, symbolizing her love and hope. Despite his pleas for her to stay or return with him, Ingrid leaves, ultimately ending her life by walking into the ocean. The scene closes with her body being recovered as the film guides viewers to reflect on her poetic legacy.

The film concludes with a powerful scene showing Nelson Mandela reading aloud Ingrid Jonker’s poem Die Kind during his first speech as South Africa’s president after the end of apartheid, emphasizing her enduring influence on the country’s history and literature.

Last Updated: August 19, 2025 at 05:15