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Picture
An old blues guitarist saves the life of a wild, abused young
​woman and uses God and music to help her find peace.
DRAMA

Black Snake Moan (2006)

Written and Directed by Craig Brewer

Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, Justin Timberlake,
​John Cothran, S. Epatha Merkerson, Michael Raymond-James

Connor Eyzaguirre
May 13, 2020
7/10
Black Snake Moan is a bizarre film to say the least. It benefits from fantastic performances from Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, and Justin Timberlake, but the story is so strange and meandering that you get lost, and not in a good way. There's so many shocking moments, like attempted rape and aggressive nudity, that they cover up the many story problems the film has. I can see the message that Craig Brewer was trying to convey; that it's possible to forgive yourself and others if you work hard enough at it. But then why are there hints that Rae (Ricci) is possessed? Why is there no reconciliation with Lazarus (Jackson) and his brother? There's too many loose ends to ignore.

Rae is a wild girl whose boyfriend Ronnie (Timberlake) has just left for deployment. While he's gone, she fucks everything that moves, so much so that it's clear from the beginning she suffers from nymphomania and a fear of loneliness. When Ronnie's friend tries to rape her, beats her half to death, and leaves her to die on the side of the road, she's found by Lazarus, a recently divorced blues guitarist with demons of his own. Lazarus saves Rae's life, nurses her back to health, and chains her in his house so she won't run off to her old life. He wants to save her soul and help her find peace. It feels like the setup to a brilliant horror movie, but Lazarus really does want to help her. It's an uphill struggle for a while, but Rae comes around and the two quickly become friends, with Lazarus being a father figure to Rae. Frankly, it's done super quick and doesn't really feel earned.

The ending is pretty abrupt and forced, with Rae ultimately marrying Ronnie out of what seems like pity. Rae never makes peace with her estranged mother, we never see what comes of Lazarus's brother running off with his wife, and Ronnie's friend never gets his comeuppance. It's a little frustrating to leave so many plot threads dangling, but the film makes up for it with brilliant performances, gorgeous cinematography, and a killer blues soundtrack. So, we'll call it even.

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