Eve's Bayou (1997)

Kasi Lemmons keeps the focus of Eve's Bayou so fully, so intently, on the characters that the film plays like a quietly studied family drama. It speaks to broadly defined themes that are staples of literature and art—specifically the dimensions of familial grief and the roles of good and evil—yet it is done intimately, always with an eye on the people who are affected.

The film is riveting from start to finish. It is a mature, thoughtful film for adults - a picture unafraid to mine some difficult territory. The movie also contains one of the single most well-acted scenes I've ever watched. I won't give it away, but it's a moment between Debbi Morgan (Aunt Mozelle) and Jurnee Smollet (Eve), involving a tragic accident that happened in Mozelle's past. What happens is shocking and revealing, a perfect example of the intense psychological realism Eve's Bayou so beautifully achieves.

Fmovies: In 1962 Eve was only about 10 and lived with her family in Louisiana. Her father, Louis, is the popular town doctor who has a beautiful wife and three children (including Eve). However he is too knowing about his popularity with the women in the town and is quite the flirt. When Eve sees him kissing and touching another woman behind their house it distresses her but she is convinced by elder sister Cisely that it was all her misunderstanding of the situation. This is the first of a series of events in her memory that she recalls ended with her killing her father. However, the memory of a child can be such a subjective thing.

Starting with the statement from Eve about her hand in her father's dead, I was ready for a mystery that would be dark and tense but the film left that mystery in the air while going on to be a slower, but just as interesting, story. This is despite the fact that it seems to rely quite heavily on voodoo and similar Southern clichés to move the story forward. Although this gradually becomes less important it is quite obtrusive early on and I found it a little bit off-putting but gradually got over it thanks to the story overcoming it with a real emotional involvement from the characters. The writing of people is strong and the direction is quite assured, even if some of the sets and shot-framing were reminiscent of daytime TVMs (an affect the music doesn't help).

With the characters and their stories well written, it required good performances all round and it is to Lemmons' credit that he draws strong performances from all ages of his cast. Although Jackson is the big name involved, it is really Smollett who won me over. Avoiding the "cute kid" cliché she delivers a really convincing performance that is the heart of the film – it is a real weight to carry it, but she does it well. Jackson himself is good, not overplaying his character to the point where we hate him, but just as far as us disliking him for the weakness that he knows he has. Good and Whitfield are both good and they are where the main battle for feminine attention from Louis – it is touching to see Good grow and fascinating to see Whitfield respond to it – good writing and good acting. Support is roundly good but they have less to do – Smith in a minor role, Carson using her ample body, Ayler playing a cliché and Curtis-Hall sporting a haircut that looks like it fell onto him from a tree. However the main performances are so good it doesn't really matter – they produce a film that is both emotionally engaging and just about avoids melodrama.

Overall this is a film worth seeing. The story relies a bit too much on voodoo and such, and is rather forced to the extremes of events but it is covered by never losing focus on the characters; characters that are well written and very well performed on the whole. A touch too soapy for some tastes I'm sure but for me it was quite engaging and a very enjoyable little drama.

This film is now showing on cable here in Australia, and is a far better than average offering.

Written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, the film is a powerful family drama set in the sixties in the south of the USA. It stars Samuel L Jackson as a small town doctor with a wandering eye. The story is told from the viewpoint of his middle child, Eve, wonderfully played by Jurnee Smollett, who sees her middle-class family life threatened by her father's infidelities.

No tale set in a bayou village could exist without references to black magic and voodoo, and this film also has them as a rather central part of the plot. But these elements are handled skilfully and believably, and heighten the tension that develops.

One of the interesting tools used by Lemmons is to tell and retell a story from different characters' perspectives, asking the viewer to determine which is more truthful, and indeed, whether the truth is paramount.

Jackson gives a sparkling performance as Dr Louis Batiste, a man of warmth and generosity who is well regarded by the local community that he serves. His family is seemingly a happy and close one, until the children begin to question some of the adult behaviour they witness.

Jurnee Smollett's Eve is the main protagonist around whom much of the story is centred, and she effortlessly moves back and forth between being a precocious brat and a young woman with powerful emotions. The rest of the cast is also very good, including a voluptuous Lisa Nicole Carson as the temptress Mattie Mereaux, and Diahann Carroll as a bayou witch.

This film moves along at a good pace and is a little more than you might expect.

Eve's Bayou fmovies. This has to be one of the most well shot and directed movies I've ever seen besides the GodFather I &II. The acting in the movie was excellent. Jurnee Smollett is an excellent actress as well as Debbi Morgan - both should have been nominated for an award. The cast well picked. Samuel L Jackson character created a love/hate relationship with me. The women were absolutely beautiful.

What is amazing is that this movie did not receive any type of nominations or honorable mentions, much less advertisement when it originally came out. I am amazed how the script of Good Will Hunting was nominated for an Oscar and more amazed that it won. Kasi Lemmons thank you for such a beautiful film.

The first time I saw this film I rated it 8; the 2nd time it got a 9. There is much visual beauty in the film: a lovely, serene setting and many gorgeous women. The film focussed on the devastation caused by a father who could not resist beautiful women even though he loved his family. As the film ended, I was left counting the number of people who would have considerable guilt to deal with but the end was, nevertheless, very satisfying.

I came across eve's bayou at the video store and decided to give it a shot. I am so glad I did. It is one of my favorite films. The story is outstanding and the acting has got to be some of best acting I have ever seen. Its a shame that there aren't enough quality roles for black actors because there are some fantastic black actors and actresses out there. I like to think I can recognize talent when I see it and the performances in this film were nothing short of top notch. I immediately went out a bought this movie after I had rented it because it was just that good. The voodoo/cajun/french/bayou vibe was cool and I think thats what attracted me to it to begin with when I rented it. Just wanted to share that with you folks and let you know that I would highly recommend this film.