Butter on the Latch (2013)

At a Balkan folk song and dance camp in the woods of Mendocino, California, Sarah reunites with her old friend Isolde and with a song she learned years before about dragons who entwine ... See full summary »

Director:

Josephine Decker

Writer:

Josephine Decker (story)

Stars:

Isolde Chae-Lawrence, Emily Decker, Stephan Goldbach

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Isolde Chae-Lawrence	...	Isolde
Emily Decker	...	Sarah's Sister (voice)
Stephan Goldbach	...	Guy
Charlie Hewson	...	Steph
Sarah Small	...	Sarah
Yury Yakor	...	Guy

Storyline

At a Balkan folk song and dance camp in the woods of Mendocino, California, Sarah reunites with her old friend Isolde and with a song she learned years before about dragons who entwine themselves in women's hair and carry them off through the forest, burning it as they go. When Sarah pursues a romance with a new camper Steph, the nights of sensual secrets and singing with Isolde come to an abrupt end. Sarah and Steph explore a simple attraction, but in Sarah's dreams, women spin their wild hair and Isolde darkly approaches. When reality and fantasy collide, Sarah finds that the dragons she's visioning may be inside her.

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

In an interview with writer/director Josephine Decker and director of photography Ashley Conner, Conner told a story about a funny incident while filming outside on location. She pointed out that Decker has a habit of just getting naked at any time and having zero reservations about it. "There were six of us: three actors, Josephine, me, and the sound guy. [The actors] were going to simulate having sex and basically at a certain point, they were feeling a bit uncomfortable. So I was like, I'll take off my top. And I had to run up a hillside. I was just in my bra. Josephine, I think you were naked. The sound guy was not, but he was having a good time and there were boners everywhere."

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Connections

Featured in Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema (2018)

User Reviews

A talent wasted.

I don't doubt for a minute that Josephine Decker has talent but having recently watched two of the films she's directed I'm not quite sure if her talent is for making movies. "Madeline's Madeline" was certainly impressive but it still wasn't an easy film to sit through. It was more like the recording of a 'performance' than a proper film while her feature debut, "Butter on the Latch" is nothing more than a series of rambling conversations filmed in a documentary style that might once have been called 'cinema-veritie'.

There is a kind of a plot; it's like a thriller but one so cerebral all the thrills have been removed and since she never holds her camera steady for very long the film induces a kind of vertigo. What she is good at is getting totally naturalistic performances from her actresses, (she works mostly with women), but, after a while, with no real storyline, just watching them 'act' becomes simply boring. I have a feeling she might have a career in avant-garde theatre but for now, I am not quite convinced she's cut out for the cinema.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 May 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Butter on the Latch

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Color:

Color