Black Snake Moan: Moans of Love's Torment

Posted by: Tim

Fate can be a twisted sister when it comes to rescue, and when it comes to love’s torment, rescue can come in the pairing of the most disparate souls. Fate found that coupling in Lazarus (SAMUEL L. JACKSON) and Rae (CHRISTINA RICCI). "BLACK SNAKE MOAN is really about two very different people coming together to heal each other,” says Writer-Director Craig Brewer, "and it is a very strange set of circumstances that brings these two people together.”

It is an audacious story and a phenomenal script that had Producer John Singleton wondering, "how in the hell we were going to get this picture made.” Singleton, who received Academy Award® nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director for his bold and controversial BOYZ N THE HOOD, calls BLACK SNAKE MOAN "much more daring than Craig’s other picture (HUSTLE & FLOW). It is certainly something people have never seen before.” But it bares Brewer’s indelible trademark of traversing the raw metamorphosis of deeply wounded people, hungry for a better life.

"We’re all wounded in some way. We all have our weaknesses, our anxieties, our foibles, and the way we get through life is by that connection, to actually be connected to someone else,” says Producer Stephanie Allain, who championed the making of both Singleton’s BOYZ N THE HOOD and Brewer’s HUSTLE & FLOW. "Craig’s work allows us to put ourselves into somebody else’s shoes. In the beginning, you may not relate to it. You may not want to relate to it. You may even feel a certain sense of judgment, hostility or negativity towards it, but by the end of the movie, you love these characters, and not only do you love them, you realize you are them. It really is all about the power of being connected to someone else,” she says, "and in this case it’s Rae’s connection to Lazarus.”

It is the story of Lazarus, who packed away his guitar playing, juke joint days, found religion and settled for the married life. "He put all his love into this woman and at the beginning of the story she’s leaving him,” says Brewer. She’s not just walking out the door; she’s leaving him for his younger brother Deke. "Lazarus is an older guy, and it is breaking him apart. After falling into sorrow and darkness, he reaches for that guitar that’s been under the bed for the past 10 years. He used to be a blues man back in the day. He used to play and be a real hard cat, but he put all of that behind him.”

"Lazarus had become a man of the land,” elaborates Samuel L. Jackson, an Academy Award® and Golden Globe nominee (PULP FICTION). "Going away from music, his life had become sedate and, in a way, boring; certainly boring enough for him to lose his wife to his brother. Then he finds this girl and tries to take a measure of control over her.”

It is Rae, "this wild girl, your town slut. That’s what many people would think of her,” continues Brewer, "but Rae is a girl suffering from intense anxiety. She has this past and this abuse that really takes hold of her sexually. It is easier for her to reach this tilt of emotion and physical exertion that makes it all go away.”

Just hours after Ronnie (JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE), her true love, leaves for boot camp, Rae numbs her misery by binging on sex and drugs. She even hustles Ronnie’s best friend Gil (MICHAEL RAYMOND-JAMES). He beats and leaves her on the side of the road. Lazarus finds her, takes her home and nurses her back to health.

Aside from curing Rae of her wickedness, Lazarus is "really an old man who wants to say a few things to a woman who’s been running around on people,” says Brewer. "He’s got some deeply rooted male vengeance that he wants to unleash on her. At the same time, they find this connection with each other – a connection that goes far beyond this chain he’s put around her waist.”

The connection evolves through a test of wills. "No matter what she does to throw herself at him, he pushes her away,” adds Jackson. "She’s not used to being unable to use her sexuality to get what she wants. This guy frustrates her, but he takes care of her, nurtures her, and eventually frees her in another kind of way.”

When Rae emerges from her semi-psychotic state and realizes a man has wrapped a long heavy chain around her waist and locked it to his farmhouse radiator, she goes ballistic. "I think she’s probably thinking about all of the horror stories she’s heard about psycho-killers in the woods,” says Christina Ricci of her character. "She’s wondering, ‘what did I get myself into now?’.” But Rae has no sense of boundaries. "Most people would have a big problem with that chain around their waist for a long time,” quips Ricci.

"Rae has had a terrible life because of what has been done to her and what she has done to herself. Because of that, her thinking is pretty twisted,” she says. "Abuse and love always came in the same package, so for her that chain meant ‘oh, he loves me’. What’s strange is, he really does come to love her and she grows to love him, in the right way, not as you would think. The chain, ironically, becomes a metaphor for their lives together – a link no one can ever break.”

Until Lazarus, Ronnie was the only decent love Rae had ever encountered. He is the only dependable person in her life. "He has internal problems too,” notes Singleton, "but when they are together they form a unit and feel at peace with each other.”

"They are the small town dream,” says Justin Timberlake, the two-time Grammy Award® winner who plays Ronnie. "They are young and in love, and they want to get out and start a new life together. They will probably never leave, and that is where their problems come from. Despite their issues, Ronnie is the only one who understands Rae’s weakness and how to help her deal with it.”

When Ronnie leaves, Rae’s self-control is threadbare. When Lazarus finds her, "he tries to take a measure of control,” says Jackson. It is Preacher R.L. (JOHN COTHRAN) who helps Lazarus measure his self-control. Lifelong friends, "both of these men are spiritual in non-traditional ways. R.L. is a regular guy,” says Cothran. "Despite the fact that he wears a collar, has a congregation and totes a Bible a lot of the time, he knows that fundamentally he is exactly like Laz. These two guys suffer from the same things. In fact, when R.L. is talking to Rae he tells her, ‘I’m full of sin, just like the world is full of evil.’ So he knows exactly where he is. He’s not deluded.”

Lazarus’ quest to take control of Rae leads him back to music. "It gives him a new sense of self,” relates Jackson. "The more he gets back to it, the more he becomes himself again. He finds his strength, confidence and compassion. He knows that music is part of the way for him to have a better life.” The other part is love – and the trust of a good woman. He begins that slow dance with Angela (S. EPATHA MERKERSON).

"She’s probably had a little thing for Laz for years,” says Merkerson, a Golden Globe and Emmy Award® winner (LAW AND ORDER). "Angela knows who Laz was married to, and she didn’t agree with that woman. She knows Laz to be the good man that he is. She finds herself with an opportunity to show this man how she feels about him, and then she meets this young girl Rae who is a part of his life. She doesn’t quite understand what’s going on, but she decides to trust this man that she loves.”

Angela’s faith in love keeps her filled with hope. "She does require something from Laz and that is his honesty,” says Merkerson. "It’s not that she comes to him as an angel, but she comes to him with her own set of issues and her own background.” She also comes to him on common ground: A desire to sing the music of her soul. It may be gospel music, not the blues, but to Lazarus, Angela is his Angel of mercy. Resurrected, Lazarus realizes he could have it all – religion, the love of a good woman and the blues.

Be sure to also not miss out on reading our interviews with the cast and director.

Craig Brewer Interview, Director Black Snake Moan
Movies Online recently caught up with writer/director Craig Brewer at the Los Angeles press day to promote his new film, “Black Snake Moan.” The film is the third feature by Brewer whose...
Samuel L. Jackson Interview, Black Snake Moan
Movies Online recently caught up with Samuel L. Jackson at the Los Angeles press day to promote his new film, "Black Snake Moan,” written and directed by Craig Brewer whose first...
Christina Ricci Interview, Black Snake Moan
MoviesOnline recently caught up with Christina Ricci at the Los Angeles press day to promote her new film, "Black Snake Moan,” written and directed by Craig Brewer whose first feature was...