Eve's Bayou Movie Review 1997

Eve (newcomer Smollett) comes from the upper-middle class Batiste family that seems all too perfect on the outside, but secrets and lies slowly surface when she mistakenly catches her doctor father Louis (Jackson) doing more than a routine check-up with a female patient. With her innocence shattered by the discovery, Eve's torment soon affects her emotionally strained mother Roz (Whitfield) and adolescent tease older sister Cisely (Good). Set in Louisiana 1962, and told in flashback, film presents a mesmerizing and complex story with haunting visuals. Ghostly appearance from Carroll adds a touch of voodoo and heightens the melodramatic intensity. Jackson is solid as the charming, yet flawed womanizer and Whitfield his equal as the suspecting wife. Impressive, multi-layered directorial debut from Lemmons didn't draw much attention during theatrical run, but has gained a following since.

Distribution

CinemaNow, 4553 Glencoe Ave., Ste. 200, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292, URL: http://www.cinemanow.com, Remarks: Formerly known as Lions Gate Home Entertainment

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 109 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

African America, Marriage, Family Drama, Voodoo, American South, Childhood Visions, Flashback, Louisiana

Screenplay

Kasi Lemmons

Cast

Samuel L. Jackson, Lynn Whitfield, Debbi (Deborah) Morgan, Diahann Carroll, Jurnee Smollett, Meagan Good, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Lisa Nicole Carson, Jake Smollett, Ethel Ayler

Cinematography

Amy Vincent

Director

Kasi Lemmons

Music

Terence Blanchard

Other

Tamara Tunie

Producer

Caldecott Chubb, Samuel L. Jackson, Trimark Pictures, Trimark Pictures

Awards

Ind. Spirit 1998: First Feature, Support. Actress (Morgan).