Midnight Special

Jeff Nichols, 2016

IMDB

3/5

Jeff Nichols is one of the most interesting filmmakers working today. Rooted in this sort of gritty, southern gothic headspace - he is able to convey images through the eyes of the everyman and sometimes figures struggling at poverty level America.

Viewers got a taste of the supernatural in his 2011 film Take Shelter. By going down that avenue he separated himself from his prior film Shotgun Stories, which was really just a straight drama picture. The supernatural elements in Take Shelter were so well used, and the ending was one of the best endings in modern cinema.

Midnight Special is interesting, because it's a really great film but probably my least favorite of his filmography. For me personally, I would probably rank Nichols films:

1. Take Shelter
2. Mud
3. Shotgun Stories
4. Midnight Special

There are a lot of things to appreciate with this movie. The unique supernatural elements, that in a sense resemble character "11" in 2016's Stranger Things on Netflix. And actually, the two can compared to each other even more with the alternate dimension concepts that both pieces of work experiment with. But Nichols is confident in his film-making, not willing to slow things down or worse - dumb things down for the viewer. There is some decision making with the picture that is bold, and really does pay off at the end of the day. The decision to not show a cliche car chase scene, and instead, focus on the aftermath as the car descends upon it. Some sudden shifts in the story without waiting for the audience to catch up. Midnight operates that way. It is what it is, Nichols probably doesn't care if you don't approve of some of his methods of storytelling. And while the end may be a bit confusing, it's something that is still lingering with me days after viewing.

Take Shelter

Jeff Nichols, 2011


4/5

Curtis (Michael Shannon) is a hardworking man who suddenly starts having apocalyptic visions in his dreams. As the nightmares continue, they begin to spill into his waking life. It soon affects everything around him: his relationship with his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain), his career, and his fathering of hearing impaired daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart). He senses that the storms of his nightmares are coming, and he feels determined to prepare.

Jeff Nichols is once again in his familiar rural American landscape, although this picture is set in Ohio and not Arkansas like Shotgun Stories or Mud. While Mud and Shotgun have many similarities with each other, this film really carves its own niche. The film also pairs Shannon with fellow Boardwalk Empire star Shea Whigham, who plays his co-worker/buddy Dewart. Shannon's character Curtis is a dedicated husband, an introverted man whose emotional needs are secondary to his providing for his family. As soon as the nightmares start to haunt him, he keeps them to himself. He doesn't let Samantha in on it. It's painful to see, because she is desperate to communicate with him - if only he could let her in. Curtis is sympathetic, because all of the changes that materialize are really based on the need to protect his loved ones.

It's hard to determine whats behind the nightmares, and sit with the same sense of mystery as Curtis does. Is it actually a prophetic vision? Or is it early signs of Curtis inheriting his mothers mental illness? Nichols relies heavily on characters in his work, giving them time to develop. He really succeeds in creating the detail here. There's an obvious empathy to Curtis' predicament, but also a sense of exhaustion as you relate to Samantha's mounting impatience. It has a damaging effect on the marriage, and as a viewer you are sitting in the room watching it unfold. The obsession of expanding the tornado shelter, and the ultimate deterioration of his life is similar to D.B. Sweeney's character Mike Rogers in Fire in the Sky. He is experiencing something that nobody but him understands. He becomes the crazy guy in town, and the loneliness of it is devastating. Nichols has been consistent in creating heavy pieces, films that have an emotional resonance to them and creating identifiable characters.

Mud

Jeff Nichols, 2013


4/5

Two boys, Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland), venture on to a nearby island with their motor boat. They are looking for a boat that has been rumored to be suspended in the trees after past flooding. They find it, but soon discover that a homeless man named Mud (Matthew McConaughey) has been living in it. They befriend Mud and soon get pulled into his rather complicated life story.

It's a 130 minute drama, rich in story, that combines the southern grit of Nichols' past film Shotgun Stories with a youthful dynamic reminiscent of Stand By Me. At times you are seeing things through the eyes of children, with the curiosity of Super 8 combined with the grit of The Sandlot. Other times you are pulled into adult-oriented drama, where Nichols once again examines the concept of revenge and the cost in seeking it. McConaughey delivers what's probably the most fitting role of his career. It's hard to picture anyone else in the Mud role. He possesses that southern charisma, a friendly twang that doesn't threaten Ellis or Neckbone. His character is almost immediately sympathetic, where he's quick to consume a can of beans that Ellis provides for him. He quickly becomes a father figure to the two boys, who are desperate for the attention with Neckbone never having met his father and Ellis' distant from his cold disciplinarian father. The film is well acted on all fronts. It's nice to see Nichols using Michael Shannon again, if even in a more limited role as Neckbone's uncle Galen. Sarah Paulson is convincing as Ellis' downtrodden mother, sick of living her destitute life on the river in the houseboat and eager for a change of scenery.

There's some notable shots of the Arkansas landscape. As the camera rides in the back of the pickup truck with Ellis, you get the view of the blue-collar town with shots of the aged ice cream stand or the run down Piggly Wiggly. Constant shots of mother nature at work, critters crawling up rocky cliffs and water moccasins wandering through the murky waters of the Mississippi River. Nichols gives the film time to really let the story breathe, and let's his characters develop. By the final act of the film you are well invested in them and some of the final moments of the film are quite gripping.

Shotgun Stories

Jeff Nichols, 2007

4/5

Son Hayes learns of his fathers death. Reflecting on years of abuse by the man, he decides to make an appearance at his funeral. When he describes the man that he knew, his father's children from his second marriage defend his character which creates a feud between the half brothers.

Nichols directs a truly heavy piece here. These complicated but reserved characters, placed in front of a bleak industrial landscape, surely have years of history - most of which is not pleasant. The sounds of their father still resonate through the barren fields behind their asbestos-sided shack. Michael Shannon is perfectly cast as the ambiguously named Son Hayes, older brother of Boy Hayes (Douglas Ligon) and Kid Hayes (Barlow Jacobs). The brothers' lack of formal names only adds to the mystique of their past, and the years they try to forget. The sudden quarrel between the half brothers feels authentic, and the build up of tension and the growing conflict feels very real. Almost too real. Certainly a study on ones lack of control, of feeding into a particular impulse, not really thinking of any consequences. The rival Hayes boy's, who were raised by a sober Father Hayes, saw a different man. A man they were proud to have his blood pumping through their veins. A man they were proud to defend. There is a certain sense of sympathy for these boys too, because they don't know the person that Son Hayes describes. They were treated to the upgraded Father Hayes. Unfortunately all Son Hayes can see is his father in every one of his half brothers. Like they are a living ghost. You wonder if they could possibly bury the hatchet, could they connect with each other? Or is the town too small for all of Hayes boys? Perhaps there isn't enough farmland in the rural town to bury the memories.

There is a noticeable sense of maturity to the film by Nichols. The acoustic guitar riff echoes through the film and only augments the melodrama. It finally plays out at the ending credits, serving as a catharsis to the long constructed angst. While not a happy piece to watch by any means, it's a compelling drama that makes an impression.