A Time for Heroes

Though the four Mirabal sisters were unlikely candidates for heroism, three of the siblings helped topple the notorious Rafael Leonidas Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic. The regime’s brutal murder in 1960 of the three Mirabals resulted in the revolution that lead to the dictator’s assassination in 1961. The sisters are so beloved in the Dominican Republic and several other Latin American countries that Nov. 25--the day of their deaths--has been designated as a national day of observance in opposition of violence against women.

“In the Time of the Butterflies,” premiering Sunday on the Showtime cable channel, tells the story of the four Mirabal sisters--Minerva (Salma Hayek), Patria (Lumi Cavazos), Dede (Pilar Padilla) and Mate (Mia Maestro). Based on the novel by Julia Alvarez the film also stars Edward James Olmos as Trujillo and singer Marc Anthony as a revolutionary who influenced Minerva Mirabal. The movie also marks the English-language debut of Spanish film and theater director Mariano Barroso. David Klass and Judy Klass wrote the screenplay.

“These women are truly heroes,” says executive producer Helen Bartlett. “Even the fourth sister, Dede--who is still alive--she raised [her siblings’ children]. I think two or three of them went on to be in the government, including one of them who was vice president.”

Bartlett finds their story amazing because the Mirabal sisters were country girls who came from landed gentry. “They had a very protected life, and the fact that they got involved [with the revolutionaries], especially in that period of time as a woman in a Latin American country, is extraordinary,” she says. “Minerva was the leader, and she drew every sister in slowly. Patria was known for her connection to the church, and she really got involved in getting the priests mobilized against Trujillo. It was incredible. They got their husbands involved in the cause. Their husbands were part of the cell.”

Trujillo, says Bartlett, was a very vain man. Just as Hitler wanted to destroy the Jewish race, Trujillo wanted to rid the country of blacks. “He had this thing about being white,” Bartlett says. “He used to put powder on his face. In three weeks’ time, I think, he had 15,000 black Haitians killed.”

He also gave all the resources of his country to his relatives. “His aunt had all the mineral rights,” Bartlett says. “He literally gave the country away to his family.” As depicted in the movie, Trujillo, who was married and had a family, would frequently arrive at convent schools and pick out young girls for his pleasure. “He would have them brought to the car, used them and had them put on the street [when he tired of them].”

Hayek was approached a few years ago about doing the film, but she turned it down because she had problems with the script. “I didn’t think the project was all there,” she says, “so I didn’t do it. Then I started a production company and started working on some things. They came back to us and said, ‘Would you like to produce it with us?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ Together we looked for writers and directors.”

The project appealed to Hayek because it deals with the courage and dignity of women. “They had dreams of just getting married and having children and being in love,” says Hayek. “They were very ordinary women who grew up on a farm. Their life wasn’t to become revolutionaries.” During production in Vera Cruz, Mexico, Dede Mirabal and two of her sisters’ children visited the set. For Hayek, it was both an emotional and scary experience. “I thought, ‘My god, what if they don’t like the movie?’ ” she says.

“They came on the set, and when they saw my first scene they were crying,” recalls Hayek. “It was very emotional. I had to focus because my character is a very tough character. She is very strong, so I couldn’t be weeping around. When I saw them crying, my throat just stopped. They were a great source of inspiration. It was great to have them there.”

“In the Time of the Butterflies” can be seen Sunday at 8 p.m. on Showtime. The network has rated it TV-14 (may be unsuitable for children younger than 14).