Synopsis
Summer heats up in rural Louisiana beside Eve’s Bayou, 1962, as the Batiste family tries to survive the secrets they’ve kept and the betrayals they’ve endured.
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Cast
- Jurnee SmollettEve Batiste
- Meagan GoodCisely Batiste
- Samuel L. JacksonLouis Batiste
- Lynn WhitfieldRoz Batiste
- Debbi MorganMozelle Batiste Delacroix
- Jake SmollettPoe Batiste
- Ethel AylerGran Mère
- Diahann CarrollElzora
- Vondie Curtis-HallJulian Grayraven
- Roger Guenveur SmithLenny Mereaux
Recommendations
- 100
Chicago Sun-Times
All of these moments unfold in a film of astonishing maturity and confidence; Eve's Bayou, one of the very best films of the year, is the debut of its writer and director, Kasi Lemmons. - 90
Salon
Eve's Bayou treads across a fragile and complex emotional landscape, and Lemmons is exceptionally adept at creating characters who are simultaneously despicable and lovable. - 90
The New York Times
Louisiana's delta country has never looked more darkly, lusciously sensual than it does in Eve's Bayou, a Southern gothic soap opera, written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, that transcends the genre through the sheer rumbling force of its characters' passions. - 80
Empire
For another, this film is that still shamefully rare pleasure, an absorbing ensemble piece in which a fine group of actors get to show their class and range, playing a black American family who are prosperous, cultured and complex. - 78
Austin Chronicle
With her audience's full attention assured, first-time director Kasi Lemmons then proceeds to unravel a spellbinding, powerfully seductive tale that blends Southern Gothic magical realism and disturbing family drama with the flair of a born storytelling genius. - 75
ReelViews
Rather than perpetuating racial stereotypes, Eve's Bayou defies them, creating several well-rounded characters and placing them in a deceptively complex story that builds to a forceful conclusion. - 75
San Francisco Examiner
You find yourself absorbed in simply looking at them to the extent that it's hard to hear what they're saying. It's a nice dilemma for a movie to present. - 70
Chicago Reader
Subplots are woven stealthily into the story, taking the pressure off the central drama, allowing it to be affecting rather than melodramatic, and heightening the atmosphere of the lush Louisiana setting.
