Eve's Bayou (1997)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Kasi Lemmons

Writer (WGA):

Kasi Lemmons (written by)

Release Date:

7 November 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The secrets that hold us together can also tear us apart.

Plot:

The story is set in 1962 Louisiana. The big Batiste family is headed by charming doctor Louis. Though he is married to beautiful Roz...

Plot Keywords:

Louisiana | Southern U.S. | Bayou | Dysfunctional Family | Multiple Perspectives

Awards:

8 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Jurnee Smollett	...	Eve Batiste
Meagan Good	...	Cisely Batiste
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Louis Batiste
Lynn Whitfield	...	Roz Batiste
Debbi Morgan	...	Mozelle Batiste Delacroix
Jake Smollett	...	Poe Batiste
Ethel Ayler	...	Gran Mere
Diahann Carroll	...	Elzora
Vondie Curtis-Hall	...	Julian Grayraven
Roger Guenveur Smith	...	Lenny Mereaux
Lisa Nicole Carson	...	Matty Mereaux
Branford Marsalis	...	Harry
Afonda Colbert	...	Henrietta
Lola Dalferes	...	Lynette
Marcus Lyle Brown	...	Hosea

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality and language.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #35338) | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:L (original rating) | Australia:M | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:12 | UK:15 | Canada:14A | France:U | USA:R | Spain:13

Filming Locations:

Covington, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Trimark Pictures

Trivia:

Jurnee and Jake are brother and sister in real life.

Goofs:

Continuity: Eve puts 20 bucks she takes from her dad's wallet in her right pocket. In the marketplace where she pays Elzora, she takes the money out of her left pocket.

Quotes:

Roz Batiste: Which one of your patients you going to see, Louis?
Louis Batiste: Woman, go get your palm read and let me do my work.

Movie Connections:

Spin off Dr. Hugo (1998)

Soundtrack:

A Child With The Blues

Exquisite!

This was a delightfully good movie. Set in the Louisiana bayou country in the 60's, it is a wonderful story of a well-to-do black family caught up in family tensions that drive the plot but never overpower the family's love for each other. Infidelity, an over-protective mother, the psychic aunt's tragic loss of loves and a delicious dose of voodoo all make this a good watch. The child actress, Jurnee Smollett as Eve, delivers a beautiful performance with talent far beyond her years. Debbie Morgan is terrific as the fortune-telling wise, but cursed-in -love Aunt Mozelle.

Lynn Whitfield and Samuel L. Jackson are also superb as the parents whose complex and troubled relationship's problems spill over onto the children, especially the two daughters, Eve and Cisely. Cisely sees herself as a buffer comforting her father and trying to protect him from her mother whom Cisely sees as a rival for her father's affections. Eve bounces around amidst the angst of being a middle child and the desire to understand the adults' world. This definitely a movie to see. It's a shame that jewels like this get overlooked in the usual Hollywood hype machine.