Review by John Delia
Ladies make sure you see Lila & Eve, a crime drama that will take you into the depths of a mother’s despair. Starring Viola Davis and Jennifer Lopez, the compelling film deals with street crime like you’ve never seen before. While the target audience does lean toward women, the performances are amazing and the story convincing. It’s a thriller that speaks volumes so I believe that both sexes will take it to heart.
Grieving over the death of her 18-year-old son Stephon (Amil Ameen) killed in a drive-by, Lila (Viola Davis) goes to a grief support group. There she’s consoled by the leader and a number of other mothers sitting in a circle. The collective group are living their lives in the same hell. Since it’s her first meeting and toward the end of the gathering a suggestion is made to Lila that she needs to find a sponsor, someone she can talk to about her sorrow. During the speeches she notices one mother sitting on the outside of the group who gets up and leaves early. As Lila leaves the hall she sees the woman sitting on the steps. She’s Eve (Jennifer Lopez) and tells Lila she’s bereaving over the loss of her daughter. Lila asks her if she would be her sponsor and Eve reluctantly agrees.
The next day Lila goes to the police station looking for Detective Holliston (Shae Whigham), the person in charge of Stephon’s case. Holliston tells her that they have no leads and needs a name of someone that may know something about the case before he can proceed. Lila feels that his answer isn’t good enough and leaves. When at the next grief meeting she asks Eve what she would do in light of Holliston’s statement. Eve tells her that they need to get a name.
The movie starts to pick up pace as the two women go to the city corner where Stephon was killed and approach a man. From this scene to the surprising finale it’s a rollercoaster ride of investigation, determination, reprisal, gunplay and death. Director Charles Stone III (Paid in Full) films his non-stop drama using a number of camera points, including close ups of the two mothers. The camera’s eye shows the passion in Lila & Eve. They are strongminded and willing to die to get the person who killed Stephon. He begins his cinema experience showing the drive by murder, flashing back to Stephon’s birthday to show happy times, then turns the film over to the grief stricken Lila and her pursuit to make things “rightâ€. The introduction punctuates the crime, and delivers an unexpected gut wrenching blow. From that point on Stone III never slows down until the final twist you won’t see coming.
What makes the film an absolute winner however, comes from the acting by both Lopez and Davis. The two are dynamic together, turning their characters into unwavering mothers who want revenge for what has made them nothing, but grief stricken flesh and blood. Scared that their hunt is leading them into even more pain, Davis’s Lila gets hesitant to continue their search. Lopez’s Eva however, presses on guiding their characters into the depths of the street thugs that caused their distraught and suffering. Both are due equal kudos for outstanding performances and should get recognition for their work.
Lila & Eve has been rated R by the MPAA for violence and language. The violence gets brutal and deadly so please take extra caution when deciding to bring immature children to the movie.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A very good film with a heart crushing story and amazing acting. (A)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Viola Davis, Jennifer Lopez, Shae Whigham, Andre Royo, Aml Ameen, Julius Tennon and Ron Caldwell
Directed by: Charles Stone III
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
MPAA Rating: R for violence and language
Running Time: 1 hr. 34 min.
Release Date: July 17, 2015
Distributed by: Samuel Goldwyn Films