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This is the line with which this Southern Gothic drama opens up, because memory will play a key role in what will happen; how we remember some things while others elude us regardless of how traumatic or impactful they could've been. Set in the 1960s, Eve's Bayou follows the Batiste family as they are forced to deal with memories and secrets they've tried to hide.
Most of the focus of the film is put on Eve (Jurnee Smollett), the 10-year-old daughter of Louis and Roz (Samuel L. Jackson and Lynn Whitfield), a well-respected couple living in an affluent Creole community in Louisiana. But behind their facades of wealth and respectablity, there are countless skeletons waiting to be unburied.
Most of the family's problems stem from Eve witnessing her father having sex with another woman. However, this is brushed aside by all members of the family for different reasons; most notably maintaining the stability and appearances of the family. But when Louis' infidelities accumulate, it becomes obvious it is not possible to elude it or brush it aside.
This is a film I had seen back in the day. However, I barely remembered anything, so it was nice to come back to it. Director and writer Kasi Lemmons has a strong eye, but the story does get out of her hands at times. There are several references to the "gift of sight", possessed both by Eve and her aunt Mozelle (Debbi Morgan), but it isn't expanded or explained enough.
Speaking of Morgan, her performance is great, but unfortunately her character seems to run a parallel story that is more or less dropped halfway through. The rest of the performances are just as good, especially Smollett and Meagan Good, who plays Eve's older sister. Their chemistry feels strong, and they both provide a solid emotional core to the story, even if the logistics around it aren't properly executed.
Grade:
EVE'S BAYOU
(1997, Lemmons)
A film from the 1990s
(1997, Lemmons)
A film from the 1990s
"Memory is a selection of images, some elusive, others imprinted indelibly on the brain."
This is the line with which this Southern Gothic drama opens up, because memory will play a key role in what will happen; how we remember some things while others elude us regardless of how traumatic or impactful they could've been. Set in the 1960s, Eve's Bayou follows the Batiste family as they are forced to deal with memories and secrets they've tried to hide.
Most of the focus of the film is put on Eve (Jurnee Smollett), the 10-year-old daughter of Louis and Roz (Samuel L. Jackson and Lynn Whitfield), a well-respected couple living in an affluent Creole community in Louisiana. But behind their facades of wealth and respectablity, there are countless skeletons waiting to be unburied.
Most of the family's problems stem from Eve witnessing her father having sex with another woman. However, this is brushed aside by all members of the family for different reasons; most notably maintaining the stability and appearances of the family. But when Louis' infidelities accumulate, it becomes obvious it is not possible to elude it or brush it aside.
This is a film I had seen back in the day. However, I barely remembered anything, so it was nice to come back to it. Director and writer Kasi Lemmons has a strong eye, but the story does get out of her hands at times. There are several references to the "gift of sight", possessed both by Eve and her aunt Mozelle (Debbi Morgan), but it isn't expanded or explained enough.
Speaking of Morgan, her performance is great, but unfortunately her character seems to run a parallel story that is more or less dropped halfway through. The rest of the performances are just as good, especially Smollett and Meagan Good, who plays Eve's older sister. Their chemistry feels strong, and they both provide a solid emotional core to the story, even if the logistics around it aren't properly executed.
Grade: