Black Snake Moan

I had a conversation with my roommate once about a style of film that hasn’t really been represented as often as we’d like. It’s what we call “Down-South Film Noir.” To best site an example of this style would be Billy Bob Thornton’s Slingblade. They are dark tales of rural areas, involving almost the opposite of most films being dumped out of Hollywood. Instead of big breaks and collagen lips, we have torn shorts, and bottles of whiskey. I didn’t think much of the preview when I first saw it, but as of last night, I have nothing but good things to say about Black Snake Moan.

Rae (Ricci) is a nymphomaniac living out her life in the rural south. Her boyfriend, Ronnie (Timberlake) is headed off to the military, trying to establish a more solid future for himself. Within hours of his departure, Rae has an attack, and seeks out sexual contact. She later refuses, and insults one of Ronny’s friends, and is beaten and left on the side of the street, where Lazarus (Jackson) finds her, and tries to help her battle her “affliction.”

Ok, let’s be honest: this really doesn’t sound like an awesome film, with thought out characters, good dialogue, and interesting themes. It sounds more like Ricci wandering around the movie for 60 minutes in underwear and a torn shirt (which, let’s face it, isn’t bad at all. She’s grown up quite a bit since her days as Wednesday Adams). But I was surprised at how tight the dialogue was, how accurate the actors were in their portrayal of their characters, and how enjoyable this film really was.

I think the one thing that I would attribute to be the strongest aspect of this film is the actor’s execution of their characters. First off, Samuel Jackson gives one of his most powerful performances in years, portraying an older man bound by the rules of the bible, and struggling with a crushed marriage. He finds his redemption, and purpose in creating a relationship with Rae. Outside of the wonderful buildup there, he plays an old jazzman, complete with accent and slang of the old south. Even the dialect was spot on, creating a perfectly believable experience for the audience. Coupled with Ricci, who also executes her foul mouthed character near perfection, every moment was wonderful to watch.

And hopefully without losing credibility, I’m going step out and say that Justin Timberlake, a Memphis native, did an excellent job portraying not only a southern man working towards a greater life, but a man struggling with a crippling affliction (anxiety) and powerful love for his girlfriend Rae.

I know that this film flew under the radar, and was passed up by many due to its strong sexual content. Personally, to me, that just added to the film, and was at no point a distraction from the purpose of the film. This isn’t a story about a woman who’s so sexually active, she’ll take it from anyone she can get. This is a story about three people struggling with problems in their lives, and how they needed each other to see that they had control over what was holding them back. It’s a character development story, and one of the better ones, despite what it might sound like. This isn’t a film for younger audiences, but if you have the chance, I’d recommend it. It’s what film stories ought to take to heart. 7.5 of 10