This film is now showing on cable here in Australia, and is a far better than average offering.Written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, the film is a powerful family drama set in the sixties in the south of the USA. It stars Samuel L Jackson as a small town doctor with a wandering eye. The story is told from the viewpoint of his middle child, Eve, wonderfully played by Jurnee Smollett, who sees her middle-class family life threatened by her father's infidelities.No tale set in a bayou village could exist without references to black magic and voodoo, and this film also has them as a rather central part of the plot. But these elements are handled skilfully and believably, and heighten the tension that develops.One of the interesting tools used by Lemmons is to tell and retell a story from different characters' perspectives, asking the viewer to determine which is more truthful, and indeed, whether the truth is paramount.Jackson gives a sparkling performance as Dr Louis Batiste, a man of warmth and generosity who is well regarded by the local community that he serves. His family is seemingly a happy and close one, until the children begin to question some of the adult behaviour they witness.Jurnee Smollett's Eve is the main protagonist around whom much of the story is centred, and she effortlessly moves back and forth between being a precocious brat and a young woman with powerful emotions. The rest of the cast is also very good, including a voluptuous Lisa Nicole Carson as the temptress Mattie Mereaux, and Diahann Carroll as a bayou witch.This film moves along at a good pace and is a little more than you might expect.
Jussie Smollett is a the daughter of Doctor Samuel L. Jackson and Lynn Whitfield. She's just got her first period, her father is cheating on her mother, and she's angry and confused.We all have sorts of movies we like, and those we dislike. For a movie about the sort of people I have no interest in -- small town girls on the verge of womanhood in Louisiana -- this is an awfully fine movie. The characters are well written, with histories that go back more than a hundred years, the camerawork by Amy Vincent makes the hideous tangle of half-dead bayous look interesting, and Debbie Morgan has a great turn as the relative who offers to kill someone with voodoo for Miss Smollett. Neither does this movie either pander to or denigrate Miss Smollett's issues; at that age, the soul is afflicted by uncertainty, and her faulty and faltering efforts to deal with that terrifying state seem real.This is a fine debut for director Kasi Lemmons. I shall keep my eyes open for other movies of hers.
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I just finished watching Midnight Bayou and was very pleasantly surprised. I very thoroughly enjoyed the characters of Lina and her Grandmother Odette, the supernatural twist, although fairly predictable, was still intense to watch - and of course the Louisiana Bayou backdrop. There are two time lines playing out in this movie, and I felt it was done in the least confusing way possible, as you can very easily see the difference in decor and dress of each time line. What would have made this a bit more enjoyable for me would have been a bit of character development in the past time line, as well as a bit more romance in both time lines. But that isn't really the focus of this, it's about soul mates reaching across time and finding peace - it's about something deeper than romance. Jerry O'Connell doesn't do it for me as a romantic lead - he's got far too much comedy about his demeanour, however the character playing Lina was extremely sexy, sultry and sassy - just the kind of woman you'd picture out in the steamy bayou's of Louisiana - she did a terrific job with her character. My last thought to any potential viewers is to not expect Notebook quality romance, this is a TV Movie, and I say that with no malice intended - it should just be appreciated for what it is, and for the story it tells. You'll get romance, a bit of humour, suspense, history and a few thrills - Enjoy! 2ff7e9595c
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