Synopsis

In 1962 Louisiana, ten-year-old Eve Batiste witnesses a secret that threatens her affluent Creole family's carefully maintained image. As her parents' marriage fractures and tensions grow between Eve and her older sister, she seeks guidance from her psychic aunt Mozelle. Blending Southern Gothic atmosphere with folklore and mysticism, the film follows Eve's struggle to understand betrayal, memory, and the consequences of revenge.

Factoids & Trivia

• The screenplay circulated for roughly two years before financing was secured, with the project reportedly requiring about a hundred meetings.

• A 1996 short film titled Dr. Hugo was made as a proof-of-concept for the feature. It is included as a special feature on the Criterion Collection release.

• Filming took place in Covington and Madisonville, Louisiana, during the fall of 1996. The Otis House at Fairview-Riverside State Park served as the Batiste family estate.

• Meagan Good was initially cast as Eve, but production delays meant she had grown out of the role. She was recast as Cisely, while Jurnee Smollett was brought in for Eve shortly before filming.

• The theatrical version ran approximately 108 minutes. A longer director's cut was later restored for the Criterion Collection.

• In 2018, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress for its cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance.