Black Snake Moan

Samuel L. Jackson finds Christina Ricci passed out on the side of the road in her underwear. He takes her in and makes her his project to restore her physically and spiritually. He finds out that she is addicted to sex. He then proceeds to chain her to his house until she is cured of the sickness.

Interesting premise. It certainly has the potential to be dark and sadistic. However, because the film is more about the salvation of both souls as opposed to just Christina's, we see that they both need each other and God to be forgiven for their past mistakes.

If you watch the trailer, you'll see it emphasizes Christina chained up. The truth is, out of the hour and 45 minutes of the movie, she is probably chained for 30 minutes of it. Still certainly a long and disturbing time, but it is not primarily what the movie is about.

It is about how we can become concerned with saving the soul of another that we neglect are own. It is about how when we do become concerned about another, we save ourselves. It is about how God chooses to give us life to the full now as opposed to just some distant wonderland we cannot comprehend. It is about how we all need a father. It is about unconditional love.

All of this happens in the context of the blues of the south. Good music.

It is a difficult movie to watch. If the graphic sex scenes don't get you, the woman chained to the radiator will. However, each decision has consequences and is grounded in reality. As unrealistic as some of these scenes might be, it's not a fantasy. There is a reason why Christina is a nymphomaniac. There are reasons why Samuel chains her to his radiator. Bad reasons but reasons that have to do more with his own sin than hers. Throughout the whole film he is a father to her. Sometimes he is a bad father like when he chains her up. Other times he gives her the comfort of his voice when she is most scared.

Kudos to everyone involved for taking on such a bold, controversial, and ultimately uplifting project.