Watching this movie again just soothed my soul. I was a PhD student in film studies at the University of Pittsburgh, and excited to see a film with an all-Black cast, written and directed by a Black woman, Kasi Lemmons, screening at a mainstream suburban theater. Its rare to see two unique Uterus Horror stories within the confines of a single film. Sidenote: For some unknown reason, the 2004 DVD edition contains the directors cut instead of the theatrical version. [6][7][8] A 116-minute[9] director's cut of the film was made a part of The Criterion Collection on October 25, 2022.[10]. I believe Eve saw the same thing when she took Cicelys hands at the end..that's why her rage turned into empathy. As Eve feels a divide grow between her and her parents, she turns to her Aunt Mozelle (Morgan). Cinematographer Amy Vincent gives us numerous beautiful shots which feel bright and colorful on the whole while also suggesting secret and darkness lurking near. When Mozelle reminisces a tragic night when her lover confronted her first husband, we behold that incident inside in a big mirror along with Eve. It freely driftsaround emotional realism and magic realism via its distinctive Southern atmosphere. "Why can't we imagine moving past Capitalism? [11] After reading the script, Samuel L. Jackson came on board as both a producer and lead actor. The Invisible . Felicia For Real Uncategorized June 18, 2021 June 18, 2021 3 Minutes. But Eve cannot possibly forget what she saw through her own eyes. In the opening scene, the narrator tells us about the origin of this swampy but beautiful little place. The reasons why Eve's "voodoo" was not the cause of Louis's death? Living with them is an aunt, Mozelle (Debbi Morgan), who has lost three husbands, "is not unfamiliar with the inside of a mental hospital," and has the gift of telling fortunes. (2018, Mar 01). While not so sure about what she really saw, Eve could just believe what Cisely told her, but then she becomes more aware of a trouble growing inside her family. After a confrontation, Lenny and Matty leave the bar, and Lenny tells Louis that he will kill him if he talks to Matty again. When Eve decides she wants to kill her father, whom she believes tried to have incestuous relations with her older sister Cisely, she at first tries to do so by paying the fortuneteller Elzora to use supernatural power by sticking pins in a doll. Both hear their parents arguing loudly at night, and they react in various ways to the tensions of the house and marriage. One of them has her first period. [35], 1997 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards[32], 1997 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards[30], 1997 San Diego Film Critics Society Awards. Haunting Magic: On "Eve's Bayou," 20 Years Later, The Unloved, Part 111: Devil in a Blue Dress, Female Filmmakers in Focus: Cauleen Smith on Drylongso, True Lies Fails to Capture the Charm of the James Cameron Original, Berlinale 2023 Highlights, Part Two: Reality, Manodrome, The Adults, Inside, Golda. Its no longer acceptable to sit on daddys lap. Christened "the best film of 1997" by the late film critic Roger Ebert, Eve's Bayou continues to leave a spell-bounding mark on audiences on its 20-year anniversary.. As the plucky heart of the film, Jurnee Smollett-Bell gives an unadorned performance packed with feisty innocence, and she and Meagan Good, who was actually considered for Smollett-Bells role during the long pre-production period of the movie, are convincing as their characters sway among strong emotions they cannot handle well. The film has been photographed by Amy Vincent in shadows and rich textures, where even a sunny day contains dark undertones; surely she looked at the Bergman films photographed by Sven Nykvist in preparing her approach. 21 1 barbi3. It is up to the viewer's interpretation. "[12] Lemmons was inspired by childhood trips she took to Louisiana, saying she "wanted to write a story about people who were like royalty in a small town. "[26], In a 2017 retrospective essay for Vulture, Angelica Jade Bastin wrote, "The film operates deftly on multiple levels: Its a stunning coming-of-age tale (an exceedingly rare example of one that privileges the experience of young black girls); an honest, hyperspecific portrait of black life in rural Louisiana; and one of the greatest writer-director debuts in American cinematic history."[27]. Vice President And Border Czar Kamala Harris Is Ambushed By Reporter's Question Regarding Illegals Bused To Her Home. Cisely finally confides in Eve the reason behind her changed demeanor. 2. Why not clear her fathers name? The movie has remained as a career high-point for Lemmons as well as her talented cast members. Because she is psychic, Elzora already knows who Eve intends to "kill." You see how perception and memory are? In the conversation, she alludes to a possible tryst between his wife, Matty, and her father. "Memory is a selection of images, some elusive, others imprinted indelibly on the brain," says the film's narrator, voiced by Tamara Tunie.Kasi Lemmons' eerie, Southern Gothic directorial feature debut, "Eve's Bayou," is as elusive twenty-five years later as it was in 1997. When Eve propositions her, she is surprised, not only by the amount of money she has, but her boldness as well. Sustainability is the ability to maintain something over a long period of time. They're all very interesting, I might add. Who were the three men walking through the fog while Mozelle and Eve were talking on the porch? For example, Meagan Good's character, Cicely, was or was not sexually abused by her father as a teenager. For the viewer, it is a reminder that sometimes films can venture into the realms of poetry and dreams. Eve's Bayou (United States, 1997) A movie review by James Berardinelli. It was written and directed by Kasi Lemmons (Black Nativity, Harriet) and has a star-studded cast including Samuel L. Jackson, Jurnee Smollett, Meagan Good, Lynn Whitfield, and Debbi Morgan. November 7, 1997. While Samuel L. Jackson is suave and charismatic in his understated performance, Lynn Whitfield is cool and elegant as his long-suffering wife, and Diahann Caroll is suitably spooky as a voodoo witch whose talent may be as real as Mozelles. Eve's Bayou, a 1997 film by Kasi Lemmons, displays the meaning of family. Just talk to our smart assistant Amy and she'll connect you with the best Eve learns to live with what she has done. He was drunk. Drama. Image from Eve's Bayou. It concerns Eve Batiste (Jurnee Smollett), the youngest daughter of the respected and popular doctor Louis . Its sick but it does happen. EVE'S BAYOU centers on Eve (Jurnee Smollet), a 10-year-old girl who witnesses her father, Dr. Louis Batiste (Samuel L. Jackson), the most well-respected doctor in an upscale "colored" community in Louisiana, having an affair with Matty Mereaux (Lisa Nicole Carson), despite having a beautiful, gracious wife Roz Batiste (Lynn Whitfield).When Eve divulges this information to her big sister . Regardless of which one is closer to the truth (which remains elusive to the end) it is clear to usthat 1) that moment was bound to happen in one way or another considering what had happened up to that point and 2) its irreversible consequence is hurtful to both sides, while also leading to another irreversible consequence later in the story. When Eve asks Mozelle how to kill someone with voodoo, she angrily answers, "You can't kill people with . Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. There is a scene of pure magic as Mozelle tells Eve the story of the death of one of her husbands, who was shot by her lover; the woman and the girl stand before a mirror, regarding the scene from the past, and then Mozelle slips out of the shot and reappears in the past. Registration number: 419361 Thriller. However, I just watched it again as an adult and my perspective is completely different knowing what I know now. It called me back for a second and third viewing. [5][3], In 2018, the film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The summer I killed my father, I was 10 years old. As we wonder about what happened during that summer in question, the movie immerses us into the small, vivid world of its young heroine who is trying to process what has been swirling inside her good but inherently problematic family. He also had no right putting his hands on her. The 1990's saw a transition in African American filmmaking when Black Female Directors started to emerge in the industry. Meanwhile, Roz receives an ambiguous but ominous warning from a local voodoo witch named Elzora (Diahann Caroll). Eves Bayou Memory is a selection of images, some elusive, others printed indelibly on the brain. Firstly, in my opinion, Kasi Lemmons' Eve's Bayou turned out to be totally different than I expected, because at first, when it begins, I thought it was going to be some kind of "slavery" film shown in the 'perspective of the slaves', just because of the scenario that they used (the house near the bayou) and because it's a typical . Apparently in Eves Bayou the real concern is with how the daughters learn about and become involved in the adult world. Eve's Bayou is a 1997 American Southern Gothic drama film written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, who made her directorial debut with this film. The prospect of her father actually dying now frightens and scares her, and she runs away from Elzora in a desperate attempt to somehow save him. Joined . Louis' role in the film includes fathering three children: Eve, Cicely, and Poe; also Louis is the husband of Roz Batiste. "Memory is a selection of images, some elusive, others printed indelibly on the brain. Some elusive, others printed indelibly on the brain." This concept of memory existing as images is made clear in the sequences in which Mozelle and Eve use their gift of sight to transcend time and . We are still seeing the story of one young girl through the eyes of another, but we are also watching as the narrator is thrust into adulthood far too soon. Looking around these characters and others at the party, the movie lets us sense how much Eve feels overlooked compared to her two siblings. It is about a marriage in crisis, folk magic and supernatural beliefs, story for two young sisters, a rivalry between a brother and sister, adultery, possible incest, jealousy, guilt, and murdered. When Cisely cant recall the exact events, Eve uses her special sight to try to see the truth, which likely sits somewhere between the two versions told by Cisely and her father. (Jake Smollet), her older sister Cicely (Meagan Good), her grandmother (Ethel Ayler), and her parents, strong proper society-woman Rox (Lynn Whitfield) and debonair town doctor Louis (Samuel L. Jackson). "Eve's Bayou" resonates in the memory. I would like to address the period freak out thing. Certainly Aunt Mozelle's gift is real; her prophecies have a terrifying accuracy, as when she tells a woman her missing son will be found in a Detroit hospital on Tuesday. His version of events state that Cisely came to him after the fight and kissed him as a daughter at first, but her kiss quickly turned to something more intimate. When Roz has her fortune told by Elzora, Elzora says that, "Sometimes a soldier falls on his own sword," insinuating that she already knew about Louis' impending death. Louis Batiste (Samuel L. Jackson) is a popular physician in 1960s Louisiana who has a beautiful wife (Lynn Whitfield), a loving family and a weakness for women. Eve Batiste is constantly abused and belittled by her father Louis Batiste. Eve's Bayou - Director's Cut. Just rewatched. General Manager. To add to Eves guilt, she finds a letter her father wrote to Mozelle before he died. Did Cisely kiss Louis, or did he abuse her? The film grossed $14 million domestically on a budget of $4 million, making it the most commercially successful independent film of 1997. You should consider providing a new trailer. When Roz has her fortune told by Elzora, Elzora says that, "Sometimes a soldier falls on his own sword," insinuating that she already knew about Louis' impending death.2. A period for adult women isn't embarrassing because we are used to it but I distinctly remember it being the most embarrassing thing ever as a preteen (despite knowing all about it and being anxious for it to start). Thats all I need to know. By Felicia Webster *Shout out to Reel Rundown* who inspired me to write this review. Blind to my own life.. Cicely Batiste was a troubled teen who was further affected by the progression of puberty, who sought her father's love and validation and believed that seducing. Is it normal to not feel traumatised by xesual (abuse?)? I want to ask you, why do you think Eve sank the letter? Ive seen two narratives: that cicely was obsessed with the dad and tried to kiss him leading to him slapping her, but Im more inclined to believe that Louis was m*******g his daughter? Retrieved from https://graduateway.com/eve-bayou/, Romeo and Juliet: Quick Love Mistaken for Lust, Crossing Boundaries in Beyond the Bayou and a Matter of Prejudice Analysis, Kate Chopins Short Story Beyond the Bayou. I'm glad I found this thread. Eve's relationship with her parents becomes more strained as she discovers more evidence of her father's serial infidelity. For both of these young girls, the shattered image of who they thought their father was becomes the catalyst for their inevitable maturation. 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