General Rafael Leónidas Trujillo rules Dominican Republic from 1930 to 1961 with an iron fist. Minerva Mirabal (Salma Hayek) and her three sisters grew up on the farm. At school, Minerva catches the eye of Trujillo (Edward James Olmos). She starts to see injustices and wants to attend law school despite being forbidden for women. She falls for revolutionary Lio who escaped the country and called her butterfly. Minerva struggles against the attention of Trujillo and gains entrance into law school. After Lio's murder, she joins the resistance and Manolo Tavárez (Demian Bichir).I'm very sure that this is a compelling historical story. The problem is that it's done without any tension or suspense. Hayek is too old to play the younger Minerva. It's hard for her to play naive and innocent. The director doesn't have the style and the story is written blandly.

Seems like it was written by someone without film schooling, or even kidergarten education. It has the need to remind us of how bad was Trujillo in every moment of the picture: No imagination, no intelligence, an insult to any educated viewer.The acting is poor, someone even confused Marc Anthony with an actor, a recognized actress like Lumi Cavazos (Like Water for Chocolate) was given aproximately four lines in the entire movie, characters are non-existent, a butterfly would have more depth. A portrayal of the horrors of that era deserves an infinitely better film.

Patria Mercedes Mirabal (February 27, 1924 – November 25, 1960), Maria Argentina Minerva Mirabal (March 12, 1926 – November 25, 1960) and Antonia María Teresa Mirabal (October 15, 1935 – November 25, 1960) — were natives of the Dominican Republic who fervently opposed the dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo. The second eldest, Bélgica Adela "Dedé" Mirabal-Reyes , was not assassinated the day her sisters were. As of 2007, she currently lives in Hermanas Mirabal (formerly Salcedo), Dominican Republic. She precedes in the sisters' natal house and works to preserve her sisters' memory through the "Museo Hermanas Mirabal" which is also located in Salcedo and was home to the girls for the final ten months of their lives).The Mirabal women grew up in an upper class, well-cultured environment. All became married family women. The father of the Mirabal sisters was a successful businessman. When Trujillo came to power, their family lost almost all of their fortune. They believed that Trujillo would send their country into economic chaos. Minerva became particularly passionate about ending the dictatorship of Trujillo after talking extensively with an uncle of hers. Influenced by her uncle, Minerva became more involved in the anti-Trujillo movement. Minerva studied law and became a lawyer, but because she did not permit Trujillo romantic advancements, he ordered that she was not to receive her degree. Her sisters followed suit, and they eventually formed a group of opponents to the Trujillo regime, known as the Movement of the Fourteenth of June. Inside that group, they were known as "The Butterflies" (Las Mariposas in Spanish). They are known as Las Mariposas because that was the underground name that Minerva was recognized as in political dealings. Two of the sisters were incarcerated and tortured on several occasions. Three of the sisters' husbands were incarcerated at La Victoria Penitentiary in Santo Domingo.Despite these setbacks, they persisted in fighting to try to end Trujillo's dictatorship. After the sisters' numerous imprisonments, Trujillo decided to get rid of the sisters. On November 25, 1960, he sent men to intercept the three women after the women had visited their husbands in prison. The unarmed sisters were led into a sugarcane field, then beaten and strangled to death. Their car was later thrown off of a mountain known as La Cumbre, between the cities of Santiago and Puerto Plata.Trujillo believed at the time that he had removed a significant problem. Having the three sisters killed backfired, however: the deaths of the Mirabal sisters caused a general public outrage throughout their native country. The resultant publicity of the deaths caused the Dominican Republic to become more interested in the Mirabal sisters and their cause. This public support and awareness contributed to Trujillo's assassination six months later in 1961.The Mirabal sisters were buried in Ojo of Agua, an area outside the city of Salcedo in Salcedo Province, on the property of their second home where they lived the last ten months of their lives. This home has also been turned into a museum in their honor and is open to the public. There is also a library, bookstore, and souvenir shop located on the property. The three sisters are buried together, and Manolo, Minerva's husband, is also buried with them.The surviving sister, Dedé, lives near the museum. One of her sons, Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal, served as the vice-president during Leonel Fernández's first term as president of the republic between the years of 1996 and 2000. Minou Tavarez Mirabal, the eldest daughter of Minerva Mirabal has served as a Congresswoman since 1998 until 2006, and has recently been reelected for four additional years (until 2010

This was a real good movie. Later in time in the Dominican Republican they had a government named Trujillo. What ever Trujillo said went. If someone in the household did something bad, the man of the house would be the one to be sent to prison, killed , or tortured. At a party one of the Mirabal sisters got into it with Trujillo after he touched her butt and she slapped him. She was the outgoing one out of the sisters. She felt as though he deserved it because he disrespected her by doing that. There father was soon captured and sent to prison and tortured. Years later the Mirabal sisters and their husband were arrested for spreading the word about Trujillo. The Mirabal sisters were let out first but they kept their husbands imprisoned. One day they were coming back from the prison to try and get their husbands out and on the way back they were stopped on the road because Trujillo felt that they had done wrong. They were dragged into a collard patch and beaten to death and killed. This movie was really really good you should watch it too.