Men are men, and women are no end of sorry in Little Chenier, a steamy saga of jealousy and revenge set on a waterlogged spit of Louisiana land.
Where writer-director Bethany Ashton really excels is in capturing the complex dynamics of small-town life.
Bethany Ashton Wolf's steamy Southern-Gothic melodrama doesn't miss a cliche... but it's steeped in authentic local atmosphere.
Such unflattering scenarios are common in movies about the rural South, but the melodramatic crescendos in Little Chenier don't play out smoothly or credibly. Heavy-handed storytelling undermines the film's good intentions and authentic locations.
