Amazon.com essential video: Actress Kasi Lemmons made an auspicious debut as a writer and director with this delicately handled, wrenchingly emotional drama, hailed by critic Roger Ebert as one of the best films of 1997. Eve's Bayou begins with ominous narration: "The summer I killed my father, I was 10 years old." From that point the story moves backward in time and memory to Louisiana in 1962, when a young girl named Eve (Jurnee Smollett) witnesses a shocking act on the part of her womanizing father (Samuel L. Jackson). But what really happened? And can Eve be certain about what she saw when there is more than one interpretation of the facts? Less a mystery than a study of deeply rooted emotions rising to the surface to affect an entire family, the film has the quality of classic Southern literature, with layers of memory unfolding to reveal a carefully guarded truth. --Jeff Shannon
It has so much promise, yet it fails to deliver... I walked into `Eve's Bayou' with high expectations. One of my film snob friends (I can call him that, he's cool with it) said that this was one of the greatest ensemble pieces of all time, and while I wasn't really sure what all the movie was about and had really heard nothing about it, I took his word for it anyways and decided to give it a watch through.
Sadly, I think he was wrong; dead wrong.
I will say this for the movie; I actually thought that its premise was smart, to an extent. The final frames of the film are truly the most enlightening when in regards to the overall message of the film, and they are haunting to a degree, but getting to that moment was far from exceptional. The film focuses on a close nit family living in 1962 Louisiana. The film opens with Eve Batiste voice telling us that she killed her father when she was ten. Then the film takes us to the summer that took place and shows us all the events leading up to it. It all starts with young Eve witnessing her father in the arms of another woman and then spirals down from there. The film broadens from the subject of infidelity to eclipse Eve's entire family, including the very spiritual Mozelle Batiste Delacroix, Eve's Aunt.
The story told has its high points as well as many low points (especially when in regards to Mezelle's character) that take away from the overall impact of the film. I found my interested waning quite a bit throughout the film, wondering what all the buzz was about. The script could have used some tightening, or at list a little more focus (in the right places) and the direction, which tended to lose interest with the film, could have been reeled in to try and keep the audience interested in what was going on.
I know I am in the minority here, but I have to speak my truth.
I was also very unimpressed with the acting, the foundation for which most of the praise has been heaped. I thought that Jurnee Smollett (who is such a familiar child actress) was very unbelievable as Eve. She appeared over the top and rehearsed, as if she was reading her lines from a cue card. Samuel L. Jackson was decent but rarely seen, even if his character was the basis of the films initial focus. Lyn Whitfield had promise, but was ill used. A lot of praise has been handed to Debbi Morgan for a performance that I consider to be the worst in the bunch. She was horrifically mannered and very unimpressive, delivering a performance that felt clichéd and uninspired. Meagan Good was actually the only acting force in the film for me. She felt natural and well cast, and in the end she is the only character for which I have any lasting interest in. It's a shame that she has yet to expound on the possibilities within her career.
Like I mentioned, in the final throws of this film there is light of brilliance, for the premise is one that is unique and inspiring, but the handling of the premise of never done so with the technique it deserves. I love the last few moments of the film, but getting there was much too difficult; and quite frankly the end result is not worth the journey one takes to get there.
Secrets, Misunderstandings & Tragedy When a young girl inadvertently sees her father in a clandestine moment, she is affected in many ways. When she confides in her older sister, her observations are dismissed. From there, we see a gradual decline of the family trust, as the secrets are maintained and the young girl turns to black magic, in the form of a voodoo specialist.
All the secrets emerge in a twisted fashion, against a backdrop of magical elements...And when the family ties are broken and tragedy strikes, nothing will ever be the same again.
Haunting film that depicts how family dysfunction can tear lives apart.
Review of Eve's Bayou Superb writing, directing, and acting abound in this ensemble movie. Samuel L. Jackson and Lynn Whitfield lead the cast as husband-wife and parents who remain in love with each other but whose relationship is strained. But it is a wonderfully talented young Jurnee Smollett who is the real superstar. The movie develops through young Eve's eyes and combines family love and devotion, childhood and pre-teen conflict, with the devastating consequences (both inside and outside the family) of ongoing infidelities. Added to this are the mystery and mysticism of the setting--the Louisiana bayou back countryside and a powerful performance by Debbie Morgan as Eve's spiritualist aunt with her repeated man troubles and you have a not-to-be-missed movie. Kasi Lemons proves to be an outstanding up and coming director and it is too bad it wasn't deemed Oscar-worthy--especially Jurnee Smollett's performance.
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!!! One of my ALL TIME favorite movies ever made. Brilliant acting by the whole cast.
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