Butterfly’s Tongue (1999)

Moncho and his Tutor

Its 1936, Spain, and there’s a civil war looming in the background. Eight-year-old Moncho, splendidly played by Manual Lozano, starts his formal education in the classroom of Don Gregorio, a beautifully understated performance by veteran Spanish actor Fernando Fernan-Gomez. Building a close relationship with his tutor and accompanying his older brother when he plays with a local touring band, Moncho begins to learn the ways of the world.

Based on three short stories Jose Luis Cuerdo's Butterfly’s Tongue (1999) fills every one of its 95 minutes. A coming of age drama with a bitter twist.