Celsius Entertainment has picked up world sales rights (excluding Switzerland) on Butterfly Stroke, directed by Denis Rabaglia and starring Judy Davis and Florence Hunt.
The film goes into production on July 28.
Also starring are Caroline Peters and Malaya Stern Takeda. The film follows Ruth (Davis), an eccentric, determined woman who wants control over everything. Even death. She heads to Zurich for an orderly, legal exit. Her estranged granddaughter, Lori (Hunt), gatecrashes and won’t leave without her. Their reunion is transformative and loving.
The full synopsis reads: Butterfly Stroke centres on Ruth (Davis), a British swimming champion, and a woman who wants control over every aspect of her life – including its end. Diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour, she sets out on a final journey to Switzerland, where assisted dying is legal. She calls her estranged granddaughter, Lori (Hunt), to inform her of the plan and the inheritance she’ll soon receive. Lori, impulsive and headstrong in her own way, won’t let Ruth slip away so easily. She races to Switzerland to stop – or at least understand – Ruth’s decision.
In Zurich, Ruth’s unusual attitude conflicts with the organization’s routine and becomes a nightmare for her case manager. Ruth also meets her match in the fastidious Dr Steiger (Caroline Peters), whose unflinching application of the rulebook leads to a darkly comedic standoff. Meanwhile, Lori finds herself unexpectedly distracted by Ingrid (Malaya Stern Takeda), a charming Swiss football player whom she can’t help falling for. As Ruth’s carefully laid plans get delayed, grandmother and granddaughter find themselves stuck in a limbo that’s unexpectedly funny and revealing. They begin to bridge the vast emotional chasm between them, and long-buried secrets rise to the surface, including the mysterious event that derailed Ruth’s Olympic future.
Butterfly Stroke is written by Nat Luurtsema, Denis Rabaglia, and Jessica Townsend.
The Switzerland/UK coproduction is produced by Michael Steiger and Michela Pini from Turnus Films (Songs Within) and Chris Curling and Anya Ryzhenkova from Zephyr Films (The Miracle Club). Thierry Wase-Bailey and Henriette Wollmann are executive producers.
