Movie Review • Eve’s Bayou is such a monumental movie that it was selected by the Library of Congress in 2018 for preservation in the National Film registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” A year after the movie released, Darren Grant was such a big fan of the movie he filmed Deborah Cox’s ‘Nobody’s Suppose to be Here’ video on the main property the movie was shot on.
Filmed on the estate of Frank Otis, Eve’s Bayou is one of those films that is written so well that after watching will have you going on Google to see if it’s based on a true story. From the stellar performances from Eve Batiste (Jurnee Smollett), Louis Batiste (Samuel L. Jackson), Roz Batiste (Lynn Whitfield), Cisely Batiste (Meagan Good), and Mozelle Batiste Delacroix (Debbie Morgan). The film is narrated by an older Eve as she gives the backstory of how she killed her father. One night after a party at their home, Eve catches her father having sex with a family friend Matty Mereaux (Lisa Nicole Carson).
As time passes, Eve becomes more aware of her father’s infidelity which puts a strain on the relationship she has with both of her parents. Things get worse once Cisely confides in Eve about the night their father tried to molest her. This brings more rage to Eve which leads her to Elzora (Diahann Carroll), a fortune teller and possible witch that she commissions to put a fatal voodoo spell on her father. Eventually, Eve regrets going to Elzora and wants to reverse the spell only to find out the spell has already been placed.
Eve finds her father at the bar with Matty and tries to get him out of there, and when she finally does Matty’s husband is walking up from the shadows of the tracks. By the look on his face, you can tell he knows his wife been messing around with Louise. After some taunting from Louise, the next thing you hear is a gunshot. After her dads funeral, Eve finds a letter he wrote to Mozelle disputing what Cisley accused him of, in which Cisley was actually the one that kissed him inappropriately. Ending with Eve confronting Cisley about it, Eve is able to see what really happened as she has the gift of sight like her aunt Mozelle.
Personally, this is in my top 3 of favorite movies. The acting was impeccable, the writing was amazing & the cinematography was breathtaking. There is so much black history in Louisiana and I love when films capture that. Yet, this was another black film with substance that I feel was overlooked because it deserved all the accolades! If you need a refresher, head over to HBO Max & check it out.
