It is always a pleasure to come across such focus on strong acting and good dialogue as in Le Papillon, particularly among movies with notable child actresses. Elsa (Claire) is starved for adult attention, with no father, and her young mother spending most of her time away with friends.

In the same apartment building lives Julien, an elderly butterfly collector, to whom Elsa takes liking despite his quick temper and awkward way with children. As Julien heads to the countryside for a personal butterfly collecting expedition, Elsa sneaks into his car. Once discovered, Elsa manages to talk Julien into taking her with him, clever and sweetly manipulative beyond her eight years of age.

The better part of the movie follows the pair while they hike through the woodlands. The real focus is on the development of their friendship. Much of this happens through small exchanges, often initiated by the inquisitive Elsa. The dialogue is entertaining, clever, natural, and the largest strength of the movie. Elsa's stubborn, youthful ignorance and good imagination are a colorful and frequently funny contrast against Julien's wry manner. It'd be excessive to label the movie even a partial comedy, but it often made me smile. The humor is low key and pleasant, just as is the movie overall.

Elsa is a strong person of her own, and not at all intimidated but more often amused by Julien. There is something we both enjoy about girls being in control, as Elsa is here, doing a perfect job of wrapping Julien around her little finger. The sight of her trying to suppress and hide her grin at his outbursts is delicious, as is watching her oh-so-randomly sigh "I'd so have loved to see the butterflies. Oh well, never mind then," when trying to persuade Julien to take her along for the trip.

Many subjects are covered in the discussions between Elsa and Julien, ranging from birth to death, from love to sorrow, and often touching the past and present of the two, though the tone remains mostly light. Julien's past is revealed gradually, much in vague comments such as his reply to Elsa's question about difference between a dream and a nightmare: "A nightmare is a dream that goes bad. It's like children. First they're a dream, then they grow up and become a nightmare."

Claire handles her challenging role hands down. Her repertoire of facial expressions and the emotions they convey is impressive, and she plays her part entirely effortlessly. This being Claire's first role, it's clear she's one of those with great natural talent for acting. The fact that neither Claire nor the movie has received any awards or nominations is something I attribute solely to its apparently narrow French distribution. Then again in this world where Dakota hasn't been even nominated for an Oscar (by the age of 13), not too much should be thought of movie awards (or lack thereof).

Le Papillon is reminiscent of Emile, although in Emile the focus is more on the past of the old man. The similarities are strongest in the style, both being low key and intelligent dramas with great acting. Both grow on you slowly, and afterward make you wish more movies were like that, worthy of your respect, with a young actress that is so much more than a sweet face or cute demeanor. Not to say those aren't worthy things. And with all honesty, were Claire less of an actress, it would be vastly harder to be excited of this movie, as there is little in way of originality. As it is, though, don't miss out on this talented French redhead; she's vastly better than you'd imagine based on still images.