The movie had a premiere in Czechoslovakia in 1991. The film received generally positive reviews. Stephen Holden wrote in New York Times: "The mood of calm despair that hangs over the film lends it a disquietingly surreal aura. But it also plays into the story, which describes an attempt to deliver a horrifying message without stating it in words."[2]David Mills wrote in The Washington Post: "The Last Butterfly demonstrates the precious power of art to transmit emotional truths about history, if not the factual completeness of history."[3]
Brownstein, Rich (2021). Holocaust Cinema Complete: A History and Analysis of 400 Films, with a Teaching Guide. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN9781476641928. OCLC1269508907.