Two brothers are victimized by a weak and jealous man in this drama shot on location in Louisiana. Beaux Dupuis (Jonathan Schaech) lives on a houseboat with his brother Pemon (Fred Koehler) in the swamps of Cajun country. Beaux is a handsome and responsible man who supports his family by running a bait shop and looks after Pemon, who is mentally handicapped. Beaux used to love Mary-Louise (Tamara Braun), a dark-eyed beauty, but she's recently married local ne'er do well Carl Lebauve (Jeremy Davidson), who has a mean streak and a jealous nature. As it happens, Carl has reason to suspect Mary-Louise -- she still stops by the Dupuis home occasionally to bring snacks for Pemon, and is sometimes tempted into infidelity by Beaux. Carl's father is the local sheriff, and when he's killed in the line of duty, his son takes his place; it isn't long before Carl learns Mary-Louise has been having an affair with Beaux, and he uses his new authority to put Pemon behind bars on false change as a way of punishing his big brother. Little Chenier was directed by actress and filmmaker Bethany Ashton Wolf, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jace Johnson, whose short story provided the basis for the story.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide