What is reality and what is fiction in ‘The Cry of the Butterflies’, the Disney+ series

On March 8, ‘The Cry of the Butterflies’ premiered on Disney+, a feminist series about the Mirabal sisters, three women from the Dominican Republic who raised their voices against the dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo and for whom International Day is commemorated of the Elimination of Violence against Women every November 25. Yours is of course a true story and tries to be quite faithful to it, although some fictional elements have been introduced to put the series together. For those who have not seen it yet, it should be noted that the story is divided into two plots, one that follows Minerva Mirabal, played by the Dominican actress Sandy Hernández, and another focused on the character of Arantxa, a dancer who gives life to Susana Abatua. This second main character is fictitious and, therefore, also her connection and friendship with Minerva, although her creation was inspired by reality.

Real Minerva, fictional Arantxa

“Both she and her surroundings are fictitious but they are based on a thousand true stories”, explains Abaitua, “Speaking with Juan Pablo Buscarini, the showrunner of the series, he told me that the objective of creating the character of Arantxa was that they did not want to fail or invent in the memory of the Mirabals and the political party. So, this character allowed that dance between those two worlds with a fiction to be able to later try to be as realistic as possible with the story of Trujillo and the sisters. That was made very clear to me by Juan Pablo, his intention to be as real as possible and with respect. Minerva’s story stays pretty true to reality.” As the actress comments, her character serves to introduce the viewer into the circle close to Trujillo; Arantxa is the representation of a woman who, unlike Minerva, must abide by the rules imposed by the dictator in order to prosper.

However, fiction does not severely judge Arantxa; she is simply a woman trying to get by in a difficult context. “It represents many women who were subjugated, forced, forced, cajoled Trujillo“Adds Abaitua, “Let’s not forget that he was a dictator who was a snake and he got as far as he got partly because of the manipulation he exercised and the eroticism of power. I feel proud to represent that invisible face, that of those other women who were Trujillo’s lovers, who felt forced or it was the only way they had to survive”.

His partner, Sandy Hernández, assures that “the Dominican is very jealous of the figure of the Mirabal and what they represent”, but that in his country of origin the game of reality and invention proposed by ‘El grito de the butterflies’. “There are many people who have told me that they have done binge-watching. Everyone is fascinated with the story of the Mirabals and how we mix fiction with the character of Arantxa. People are very aware that this character is not real, but everything he represents is real.”, he argues.

True stories of the dictatorship

Proud to represent such an important figure in the Dominican Republic as Minerva Mirabal, who, she tells us, is taught in schools, Sandy Hernández tells us that participating in the project has helped her learn even more about the era she portrays: “It is very curious because when I tell my friends or family that I am going to play Minerva, stories of the regime begin to emerge. People very close to me who say: ‘My grandmother told me that such a thing’. For example, my great-grandmother, who is still alive, when I tell her what I am going to do to Minerva, she tells me a very strong story of a calié. The calié at that time were those who worked for the SIM (Military Intelligence Service), which was in charge of subduing the entire world to the dictatorship. There was a caliber who lived near my great-grandmother’s house and her son had gone to study abroad during the regime and when he returned to the country he came with other ideals against the dictatorship. And the calié killed his own son for being against the dictatorship. The Mirabal family is one of the many horrible things that happened during that time. But to keep something good from what I have learned, I think that Minerva made me a stronger and fairer woman, to raise my voice and say the things that I really think. I think we can learn a lot from what happened. Minerva changed my life”.

On the reception of ‘The cry of the butterflies’, he believes that most Dominicans will be happy with how both the Mirabals and Trujillo are shown, although there are still some nostalgic for the regime. “There are still people who say that Trujillo should be alive right now or that the country would be so different if he were. When bad things happen in the country, they say ‘Trujillo, come and see’. It is a mess that is still said today, “explains the actress, “Yes, there will be a lot of controversy, but the majority of Dominicans are clear that he was an evil man who did a lot of damage. Everyone agrees with how it ended with him. well deserved end”, he concludes.

Dominican Republic is not Dominican Republic

Another element that is not real in ‘The Cry of the Butterflies’ is the place where the action takes place. Although the Dominican Republic is being represented in fiction, the truth is that the series was not recorded in that country. Instead, it was decided to recreate it in different locations in Colombia such as Barranquilla, Santa Marta or Bogotá for logistical reasons. “They did a spectacular job scouting locations. Every Dominican who has seen it so far says: ‘But it’s just like the Dominican Republic!’ It looks spectacular and the truth is that the similarity is incredible”, acknowledges Hernández, “There have been critics of ‘Oh, why didn’t they record in the Dominican Republic’, but they have nothing to envy. The Colombian industry has more resources of everything, changing rooms, cars, equipment… It was more accessible that way”.