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Butterfly Jam

Play trailer Poster for Butterfly Jam 2026 Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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46% Tomatometer 26 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Ratings
16-year-old Pyteh splits his time between the wrestling mat and his family's struggling Circassian diner in Newark. A single impulsive decision by his hustling father changes the course of his life, shaping a tale of pride, legacy, and masculinity.

Critics Reviews

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Stephen Dalton The Times (UK) May 20, 2026
2/5
Balagov’s English-language debut is too obviously in thrall to the many superior low-life chroniclers who trod these mean streets before him, from Scorsese to the Safdie brothers. Go to Full Review Brian Tallerico RogerEbert.com May 18, 2026
Talented people are sucked into the vortex of this brutal drama that purports to be about toxic masculinity but has absolutely nothing to say about its hot topic. Go to Full Review Donald Clarke Irish Times May 14, 2026
3/5
The introduction of a stranded pelican feels like one enormous metaphor too far. The unlikely celebrity cameo at the close should, however, win over a few resistant brains. Go to Full Review James Mottram Radio Times Aug 18, 2026
2/5
From shots of a live bird flapping about Azik's apartment to a curious Monica Bellucci cameo, it's all very off-kilter, the disparate elements never truly coalescing. Go to Full Review Savina Petkova The Playlist May 24, 2026
B
[Butterfly Jam] has one of the most wondrous deus ex machina moments in recent cinema, an instance of pure film magic that cannot be forced. Go to Full Review Marya E. Gates Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack) May 23, 2026
Like any good folklore, there is a morality tale at the center, a warning against a certain kind of toxic masculinity and a life rooted in the desire for money, rather than with your feet firmly planted in the soil of family. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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Kantemir Balagov

Director

Barry Keoghan

Actor

Riley Keough

Actor

Harry Melling

Actor

Kantemir Balagov

Screenwriter

Pascal Caucheteux

Producer
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Butterfly Jam

Butterfly Jam (2026) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis 16-year-old Pyteh splits his time between the wrestling mat and his family's struggling Circassian diner in Newark. A single impulsive decision by his hustling father changes the course of his life, shaping a tale of pride, legacy, and masculinity.
Director
Kantemir Balagov
Producer
Pascal Caucheteux, Alexander Rodnyansky, Pauline Lamy, Gaetan Rousseau
Screenwriter
Kantemir Balagov
Production Co
Why Not Production, AR Content, Goodfellas
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
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