Eve's Bayou (1997)

June 21, 2022 2:02 PM

Over the course of a long, hot summer in 1960's Lousiana, a 10-year-old black girl, Eve Batiste (Jurnee Smollett), discovers that her family's affluent existence is merely a façade. The philandering of her suave doctor father, Louis (Samuel L. Jackson), creates a rift, throwing Eve's mother, Roz (Lynn Whitfield), and teenage sister, Cisely (Meagan Good), into emotional turmoil. Eve, though, manages to find some solace with her aunt, Mozelle (Debbi Morgan) who works as a Hoodoo Practitioner with a neighborhood reputation as "The Black Widow." Written and directed by Kasi Lemmons.

83% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. In 2018, it was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Currently streaming free in the US (with ads) on Pluto TV, redbox, The Roku Channel, and Vudu. Also available for digital rental via multiple outlets.

posted by DirtyOldTown (2 comments total)

Southern gothic + magical realism + an underexplored side of the Black experience. Legit *****/***** for me.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:05 PM on June 21, 2022 [1 favorite]

Haven't seen it since it came out(!) but still favorably remember the immersive quality of the film.
posted by latkes at 6:50 AM on June 23, 2022