This film was so astounding that I am leaving a review for the first time. I only hope that everyone will have the privilege of hearing what Nick has to say about life after watching the film. It is engaging and then portrays its message beautifully using the butterfly and its transformation. It is so encouraging to see a film that has an inspirational message. God has made him special physically so that he can proclaim the grace of the Gospel to all who will listen. I had no idea he could act, but nothing that Nick strives to accomplish should surprise any of us. I shed tears over his victory to not just exist in this world. May God grant all of us the 'Will' to overcome our own adversities.

This film flies by in 20 min. with not a wasted second. Set in the Great Depression, it focuses on an inspirational traveling circus called the "Butterfly Circus". And most especially on the "limbless man" who stows away with them. This film goes as deep as it can in the short time span, so naturally none of the characters can be fully fleshed out. Yet it packs an emotional punch. And each character is given just enough face time so the audience cares about them. To the extremely jaded, they might be skeptical of such an inspirational film as this, but for the majority, this film will lift your spirit, especially if you are a teenager. Although the filmmakers and its star are all Christian, the spiritual message is more buried here, making it immediately accessible to anyone of any persuasion.I have seen many modern Christian films, and with the exception of the outstanding Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson, most were lamentable. Their budget could not support state of the art special effects and many of the actors seemed to be church buddies of the director with minimal experience. But what was the worst was the poor and superficial script writing. So Butterfly Circus comes off as a real delight. Still working with a limited budget, the director and cast clearly knew how to make use of their resources. The acting, while not Oscar worthy, is realistic and convincing. The script, while unable to be exceptionally deep because of the short running time, is provocative enough to touch the heart. You feel like you're "there" in the story. And the lighting and music are first rate, giving a dreamy feel to the entire production. The ringmaster Mendes says, "What this world needs is a little wonder!" In its own small way, that is the feeling you are left with after viewing this gem.

This film by director Joshua Weigel is about a cabinet of curiosities and runs for little over 20 minutes. Basically, it's a bit of a road movies as we see circus performances, but also how paths of the artists cross with the random population always stuck between fascination and disgust for the creatures that make up the ensemble. The cast members are rather unknown with one exception maybe, Doug Jones known a.o. as Pan from Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth".It's a nice idea as there's not too many films on the issue, even less short films, but this one did not do much for me. The shocking sequences (a limbless man almost drowning) felt as unconvincing as the emotional (the child's hug towards the end), so I'm a bit baffled by the high rating. There's really nothing in this effort that justifies a running time over way over 15 minutes. Weigel hasn't made a film for almost five years and if he ever wants to step into full feature territory, he will need to step things up. I hope he manages, as, occasionally, glimpses of talent were visible. If you enjoyed the likes of Terry Gilliam's "Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus", give this one a go, otherwise stay away.

we get it: with hope and faith in yourself you can achieve more, but this old wisdom for most viewers doesn't need to be spelled out this impudently (although, considering the many praising reviews of this short film on the net, I've marked this as a spoiler). every scene, I daresay every look and act is soaked in that feel-goodness, and turns these twenty minutes into a painfully transparent watch for the persistent viewer. apart from that, the acting and dialog are quite horrible and the script is trite and superficial. where sarcasm or mockery could, shamelessly copying from the Carnivàle series nor idealism can save this film from being bad.