The Butterfly

Daughter does in eight minutes what longer films fail to do in two hours. Ostensibly an advertisement for the iPhone 11Pro, it was far more than that. Phones played no part except for the fact that it was supposedly shot with an iPhone. Theodore Melfi directed the film and Lawrence Sher was the cinematographer, both Academy Award Nominees.

Zhou Xun plays a mother estranged from her own mother. She drives a taxi and takes her daughter to work with her for which she is often criticized. The little girl, Dou Dou, entertains herself with a homemade telescope, viewing the world with a few accessories from the window of the cab. Not everyone complains about sharing the backseat with Dou Dou offering themselves up as temporary surrogate “parents.” New Year’s Eve and a desire for dumplings and to share dumplings offers a chance for healing.

Zhou Xun gave a wonderfully complex performance in this short film/commercial as the daughter who refused to fit into the mold her mother made for her and also as the mother of her own daughter. The little girl was adorable which helped seal the deal. “Daughter” had a compelling ending that made this old Butterfly tear up. Definitely worth 8 minutes, especially for daughters who both need their mothers and their own identities separate from them.

5 May 2026