Eve's Bayou (1997)

''The summer I killed my father I was 10 years old.'' That's the bold opening confession of this film, and what follows more than lives up to it. Set in a rural Louisiana parish, it's the story of a well-to-do black family torn apart by jealousy, adultery, and voodoo. At the tale's center is young Eve (Smollett), who, deeply disturbed by her philandering father (Jackson, also one of the movie's producers), resorts to local magic to confront the household's secrets. The Oscar nominations overlooked Eve's Bayou, including first-time feature director Kasi Lemmons' luminous script and soap vet Debbi Morgan's supporting turn as Eve's psychic aunt. But you shouldn't. A-