Like a Butterfly, or The Romance of a Forty-Year-Old

The film Motylem jestem is a continuation of the popular TV series Czterdziestolatek, which expanded on an episode about the life of engineer Stefan Karwowski. After the huge success of the television production, Jerzy Gruza and Krzysztof Teodor Toeplitz decided to create a feature film set in the same environment—the cramped Karwowski apartment and the construction site of the Central Railway Station in Warsaw. Stefan Karwowski, the construction manager, is selected to take part in the TV program Man of the Month. Although he initially seems uninterested, he soon gains the attention of the media and his colleagues, and preparations for his television debut become the entire crew’s focus. During this time, Stefan begins a romance with the popular singer Irena Orska, played by Irena Jarocka. The song Motylem jestem, which became a hit of the 1970s, accompanies this chapter of the story. Thanks to the team’s efforts, Karwowski becomes Man of the Month, but the success quickly pulls him into a world where he starts to forget about his work on the construction site and his wife, Magda. Fascinated by the entertainment life and romancing Irena, Stefan decides to abandon his family and marry the star.