Butterfly Crush

Directed by Alan Clay

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Moana (Courtney Hale) and Eva (Hayley Fielding) dream of being rock stars. Performing as the Trans-Tasman duo Butterfly Crush, the pair are partway to that goal, having been nominated for the Australasian Song Awards. However, their chances of success of potentially sabotaged when Eva gets involved with a Kings Cross cult. Advocating astrology, computer-assisted dreaming and open relationships, the Dreamguides have turned Eva’s head and tricked her into signing a management contract. Now, its up to her “Kiwi in shining armour” Moana to rescue both her and their shared quest for fame, but even she is not immune to some of the cult’s charms.

With a plethora of angsty and empowering toe-tapping tunes, cute boys and outrageous fashions, Butterfly Crush certainly has plenty to offer its target teeny bopper audience. And in the two leads, Hale and Fielding, it boasts a couple of engaging young, triple-threat performers. But while writer-director Clay’s production values often belie the film’s miniscule budget, the variable acting skills of some of the others onscreen drags the film down.

Parents of younger teens or tweens should also be warned that the film’s girl-power image is backed up by an odd frankness when it comes to sexuality (in all its forms) and the odd machinations of the Scientology esque cult.

A cross between a teen Muriel’s Wedding and Tautou: The Movie, Crush is a bold but slightly bewildering attempt at creating a local movie for an underserviced sector of moviegoers.

- © Fairfax NZ News