It's about time a drama was made that reflects a small but real community. Gender Identity is a mystery and something to be feared by many. This makes this a very important step in fostering acceptance and understanding in our society. Programmes like Butterfly will hopefully help those who are open minded but have no information to see how difficult lives can be for these young people and their families, who are often singled out and vilified mainly through transphobia and fear from others. Anna Friel is a real character actor and does in this what she does so well which is to show depths to a personality that may not always be pretty but are nonetheless real and important. There are some very good performances in this, not least the young actor playing Maxine. Granddad and Grandma are characters that are simultaneously well intended and clueless and reflect the often difficult path the family of a transgender child must navigate, whilst still managing to offer a lightness in reflecting these attitudes. Well done to ITV, bravo! I would say be wary of unsupported low scores as this subject is divisive, which means that a small but insistent group are determined to vote this important drama down in order to reduce its chances of being commissioned for further series. Why do they do this? Because they would rather 'other' and ostracize people with a protected characteristic than deal with their inner fears and ignorance like adults. I wish them well and the courage to be more inclusive.
Review of Butterfly
