Married to the Movies (#2) - Black Snake Moan

a film by Craig Brewer

ONE SENTENCE SYNOPSIS
an old heartbroken bluesman in the rural South finds a young woman beaten and abused and resolves himself to “cure” her of her destructive behavior

HER TAKE
Samuel L. Jackson has done it again. This time, in Black Snake Moan as Lazarus, a man attempting to mend his heart and find love again. Jackson is solid from start to finish and is the foundation from which the rest of the film grows. He crosses many a threshold of emotions flawlessly and gracefully as Lazarus journeys from unknown territory (the aftermath of his divorce) to the safe haven he finds in mentoring hedonistic Rae (Christina Ricci). Jackson gives Lazarus the kind of gentle force that is not dangerous but at the same time “will not be moved.” He is an unlikely knight of sorts whom, initially, you are uncertain can fulfill your hopes, but eventually lifts and carries the sword so nobly, you cannot help nearly forgetting his faults by curtains close.

But this is no fairy tale. Each character has their own internal battle they must struggle to overcome and with the help of each other they manage to…well…manage. They learn that while it might not be possible to kill 'the beast', they can at least tame it. Love is the strongest theme throughout showing itself in a multitude of ways: as kindness helping a stranger, as jealousy blinding a lover, and as loyalty remaining true to friendship, among many others.

Probably the most moving element of the film was its music. Scenes where music is most prevalent are the keystones to the emotional arch of the story. Archive footage sequences of legendary bluesman “Son” House are enchanting as he simultaneously describes the emotions that generate true blues music and the emotions that drive our main characters. Blues plays a heavy hand in setting the mood throughout the film with the most powerful display of man and music culminating in a rare performance by Lazarus, witnessed only by Rae during a tumultuous thunder and lightning storm (Jackson actually learned to play for this role). This scene is by far the most electric and solidifies the bond between Lazarus and Rae. The soulful music continuously enhances and reinforces the feelings and experiences of the characters throughout the film.

To some, this may come as a surprise, but my negative impressions of this film revolve primarily around the casting of Christina Ricci as “Rae.” And I even like Christina Ricci sometimes. I’m guessing she fought hard for this role because she certainly gives it her all. Unfortunately, her “all” didn’t quite cut the mustard. The only time she actually sold her performance was when she was scarffing down food. In those singular moments (twice I think I counted?) I actually, truly believed she was hungry. I may have even cheered a little inside, despite assuming she spit it back out at the word “cut!” so she could maintain her skeletal physique for the next four months of shooting. Did she “slim down” for the role? I don’t know, but her emaciated figure, unlike Christian Bale’s Trevor Reznik (The Machinist), did not positively enhance the aesthetic of her character. Her already large eyes, seemed to be in perma-bulge mode, also an incredibly distracting side effect of her look. To her credit, she pulled off the dirty, trashy, backwoods, feisty wild child aspect to a degree. But incredibly desirable sex goddess? No. If I were to give her that, well that would just paint all the men in that story into a rather unpleasant category of men who cannot resist skin and bone, stringy blonde haired, bulgy eyed girls—not your classic vixen...and I don’t think that was the intended impression. Ultimately, she gets an “A” for effort for clearly diving head first into the role, but the casting missed the mark here. A different actress (and by that I mean, anyone healthier and—I’m just going to say it—more attractive) could have made Rae the emotionally scarred on the inside/reckless and irresistible temptress on the outside young woman she was supposed to be.

The supporting cast members, which include a vulnerable Justin Timberlake as Rae’s anxiety riddled boyfriend, prove to be a good balance for the leads and add meaningful performances of their own. All in all, I recommend this film if you can get past the Christina Ricci black hole. If you can, then the music, Samuel L. Jackson, and the story itself make it worth while.

HIS TAKE
As far as tough sells go, a film about an embittered Bluesman who chains a nymphomaniac girl to his radiator in order to cleanse her soul is pretty difficult. Simply put, this is not ‘mainstream’ moviemaking. Or at least, it’s not something I can imagine my family renting off of Netflix.

But that’s what director Craig Brewer seems interested in, stories about flawed characters, and the redemption of the irredeemable. After all, this is the same director who brought us the pimp-turned-rapper Sundance hit Hustle & Flow. That film turned into a surprisingly upbeat tale, one that it received a fair amount of criticism for by over-glorifying its subject. Black Snake Moan borrows its themes, but if there’s one thing that this film shares with Hustle & Flow, it’s the ability to hit the right notes… musically.

When a song is playing in Black Snake Moan, it’s to good effect. The title of the film itself is borrowed from a 1927 Blind Lemon Jefferson song and the Blues-y feel that Brewer instills fits the storyline well, keeping it all about failed and failing relationships and the heartache they cause.

Which is why it’s not surprising that we’re first introduced to Lazarus (portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson in a stunning departure from his recent ‘autopilot’ roles for Snakes on a Plane and The Man) on a barstool. He’s there drowning his sorrows over his lost love Rose. Feeling like his wife turned his back on him, Laz turns his back on the only one left to blame besides himself, God. And no longer the forgiving type, a few short scenes later Laz is perched in his tractor running Rose’s rose garden into the ground.

Lazarus (as evident by the too-obvious name) is a dead spirit in need of revival and he finds it in the least likeliest of places – sprawled half-dead and half-naked in the middle of the road.

Enter Rae (Christina Ricci), a sexually abused child whose aftereffects have left her unable to control her sexual compulsions. Ricci is asked to do too much, to be a sympathetic character that acts in an immoral way to those that she supposedly loves. It’s almost an impossibility to capture this correctly and Black Snake Moan has its flaws in this regard (often treating Ricci’s character as a monster or a drug addict in need of a fix), but Ricci is perfect for the role. She plays off of the conceptions of her past characters (Monster? Fear and Loathing?), for once using typecasting to added effect.

What results is a symbiotic relationship between Lazarus and Rae where they use one another to become the people they probably should have been in the first place. There are still shortcuts taken in the storytelling at this point in the story (Justin Timberlake’s character is extended to minimal effect) but when Black Snake Moan focuses on their relationship, it seems to truly hit its stride… and it’s refreshing to a see a relationship that is not focused around love or betrayal, but simply two characters that know they’re good for one another and good for themselves.

HER REACTION
You're observations are right on. I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment that the movie shines when it focuses on the Lazarus/Rae relationship and the intertwined music. I also agree with the comment that the director asked too much of Ricci. Now I could be snide and say that he asked too much of her when he "requested" she make her character believable but I won't...I'm not going to say it. I'm also not going to say that her decision to regurgitate her food to "get into character" is going to convince me she was the best casting choice. Nope...you didn't hear it out of these lips.

HIS REACTION
I almost feel like I should offer condolences to Christina Ricci’s family after that review. Just no-holds-barred stuff. You even got a little personal there attacking her for being ugly at one point. The thing is though, I don’t think she ever intended – or needed to be – an ‘incredibly desirable sex goddess’ as you stated. She pulled off ‘dirty, trashy, backwoods, feisty wild child’ enough to succeed in the role and I feel that the real flaws in execution towards her character (her wanton lust and back story) were mishandled more on the director’s part. As for her ‘skin and bone, stringy blonde haired, bulgy eyed’ appearance… well, damn, I have no response for that.



written by Brian and Rebecca