Review of Eve's Bayou (1997) by Christina Jimerson

Directed by Kasi Lemmons. Cast: Eve Batiste (Jurnee Smollet), Cicely Batiste (Meagan Good), Louis Batiste (Samuel L. Jackson), Roz Batiste (Lynn Whitfield), Mozelle Batiste Dalacroix (Debbi Morgan ), Poe Batiste (Jake Smollet), Mattie Maraeux (Lisa Nicole Carson), Lenny Maraeux (Branford Marsalis), Elzora (Diahann Carroll). USA. Color. 109 minutes.

"It was the summer I killed my father.", a voice-over in the beginning of the movie states. It is the voice of Eve Batiste, recalling the summer she discovered many of her family's secrets in the film Eve's Bayou. Eve's Bayou is about the trials and tribulations of the Batistes', an affluent Black-Creole family, as seen through the eyes of ten year old Eve Batiste. The film takes place in the summer, in the town of Eve's Bayou, which is named for a former slave who was given a large amount of land located in Louisiana bayou country. The film follows the life of young Eve who, named after and a descendant of the former slave, lives in the Bayou with her parents Dr. Louis and Roz Batiste, her fourteen year old sister Cicely, and her seven year old brother Poe. Also close with Eve is her eccentric Aunt Mozelle, who makes a living practicing psychic readings.

One night when her parents had a party at their house, Eve accidentally witnesses her father cheating on her mother with another woman. Although her father assures Eve that he loves her mother and is dedicated to their family, the trust and admiration Eve has for her father is destroyed. This incident opens Eve's eyes to the many infidelities of her father, the pain it causes her mother, and the effects on the rest of the family. After learning of an incident between Dr. Batiste and Cicely, Eve decides to take matters into her own hands. Eve consults Elzora, a psychic rival of Eve's Aunt Mozelle, to assist in her plan to stop her father from continuing to emotionally hurt the family. Eve's series of actions ultimately have drastic results that effect the entire family.

Eve's Bayou was wonderfully cast with each of the actors successfully conveying the emotions of their characters and an intimate sense of family. Jurnee Smollet's character of Eve is spunky, humorous, full of mischief, and unafraid of the truth. Louis Batiste, played by Samuel L. Jackson, is actually a very likable character, despite his constant womanizing. Lynn Whitfield presents Roz Batiste as the beautiful, lady-like, socialite who is a loving mother trying to deal with the problems in her relationship with her husband. One of the more interesting characters in the film is portrayed by Debbi Morgan, who is Aunt Mozelle. Morgan's character is mysterious with her psychic powers and visions, and is also known as the bayou's black widow after the deaths of her three husbands. The film also presents a sibling rivalry between Eve and Meagan Good's character Cicely, their father's favorite child who must deal with a depression that is the result of growing pains, and her confused emotions and relationship with her father.

Kasi Lemmon's film tells the intriguing story with the use of every manipulation of the camera lens that is possible. Lemmon's explains the history and shows the past experiences of the Batiste family through his creative use of black and white flashback sequences. At times, the beginning and end of the sequences is hard to decipher from the present time in the film. However, the sequences serve their purpose and enhance the telling of the story. The voice-over in the beginning of the film captures the attention of the viewer and leaves you with the question of what she meant by that statement. Lemmons provides the answer throughout and at the end of the movie. Lemmons also touches on the always interesting subject of black magic and voodoo to add an extra bit of mystery to the film. Eve's Bayou has a story line with events and dialogue that evenly flow throughout the film, successfully keeping the viewer's attention.

The film Eve's Bayou has the potential to appeal to a wide variety of audiences because the issues the Batiste family are dealing with are common to every day families and relationships. Kasi Lemmons passionately tells the story of the Batiste family and their experiences with a few interesting twists, making it an appealing film to watch.