Black Snake Moan
Rating: 4/5
Director: Craig Brewer
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, Justin Timberlake
Now playing: Esquire 7
A unique film titled “Black Snake Moan” by Craig Brewer (director of “Hustle & Flow”) opened this past weekend, staring Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci and Justin Timberlake. Before the film’s release, Internet chatter ran from topics involving Jackson’s repeated projects involving “snakes,” Ricci’s sex scenes, Timberlake’s acting ability and the apparent absurdity of the film’s premise.
The premise of the film is this: Rae (Ricci), a sexually abused young woman, undergoes traumatic flashbacks of abuse, causing her to writhe about with an inner burning that only sex will satisfy. Lazarus (Jackson) is a Christian farmer whose wife just left him for another man, whose own inner torment is released through Blues music.
When Rae’s boyfriend (Timberlake) leaves her for military service, she looks for sexual replacement wherever she can find it. One morning, Lazarus discovers a beaten and bloody Rae on the street outside his home. He witnesses a sudden outbreak of her convulsions and moaning. At first fearing her possessed, and then realizing she is simply feverish from respiratory infection, Lazarus nurses her back to health. To prevent her from hurting herself while in a delirious state of recovery, he chains her to his radiator. However, even once she regains coherence he refuses to unchain her, explaining that she needs to stop running wild and destroying herself in abusive relationships. He intends to use some “tough love” to set her right again.
In “About Writing,” Samuel R. Delany, a writer, critic and professor at Temple University explains that “‘plot’ is an illusion. [It] is an effect that other written elements produce in concert.”
I believe this becomes particularly relevant for richly complex narratives that do not neatly fit into a particular category or archetype. “Black Snake Moan” is a good example of such a narrative. The standard synopsis of the events and premise of this film are inadequate to describe its purpose or effect. Going merely on the above premise, audiences have expected another B film like “Snakes on a Plane,” or another nudity-filled exploitation picture.
Instead, people that haven’t been turned off by the premise, and saw the film, seem utterly surprised, unsure how to interpret or take it. Is it supposed to be funny? Is it disturbing? Is it exploitation? Is it serious?
The film is paradoxically all these things. The credits appear in a style highly reminiscent of ’70s American cinema, and the film continues with that vibe, mixing elements of the ’70s exploitation genre with those of more serious works. The dialogue seems hokey at times, and yet in other moments is profound.
“Black Snake Moan” isn’t really about a white girl tied up in chains by a black man. Indeed, Rae spends only a small portion of the film tied to a chain. Additionally, matters of race have little to do with the film, despite first appearances. Race is commented upon briefly, but all the characters are viewed beyond race – they are simply human. Ultimately, the film is deeply spiritual; it is about practicing faith, hope and love.
The three main characters in the film all have serious and destructive personal problems. Alone, they are unable to deal with them. But through a combination of “tough love” and gentle caring, they help one another transcend the personal agony within. The chain around Rae is ultimately metaphorical, linking her to the faith of Lazarus and the support he gives.
Despite the disturbing premise of the film and its moments displaying human depravity, “Black Snake Moan” is uplifting and shows hope in the lives of people who appeared irredeemably screwed up.
I can’t say exactly how you will take this film if you see it. But I do think it should be viewed seriously. It is a unique narrative that invites reflection on the personal torments we all face, and what can be done about them.