Mud
Released:
24th May 2013
Director:
Jeff Nichols
Starring:
Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob
Lofland, Reese Witherspoon, Sam Shepard
Around a year and half ago I was sat in the cinema about to
watch Take Shelter with very little
prior knowledge. I knew that Michael Shannon was an excellent actor because of
his role in Boardwalk Empire, but
aside from that I didn't know much. So when the wonderfully eerie and tension
filled study into the fragility of one man's mind unfolded on screen, I was
both captivated and amazed by its absolute mastery. So naturally when I heard Take Shelter writer-director Jeff
Nichols' new film was coming out, I got a little excited.
Mud is Jeff Nichols' new piece of Americana glory, this
time giving a raw view of people who make their living off the river (he got
the idea from a book on this subject in his local library). Local boy Ellis
(Tye Sheridan) lives with his family in a house boat on the river. When his
dad's not working him hard, getting him to help sell fish to the locals and do
other river related activities, he hangs around with his sex-obsessed pal
Neckbone (Jacob Lofland). Ellis and Neckbone venture out into the open waters
beyond the river in search of a boat that's stuck up in the trees from the last
flood in the area, but end up discovering someone is living on their new found
boat. That someone turns out to be Mud (Matthew McConaughey), a surprisingly
gentlemanly but rough man who looks as if he's been dragged through several
hedges. Mud brokers a deal with the two young fellas: if they can bring him
supplies, he'll let them have the boat. The boys agree to his deal, but there
is more darkness to Mud than first appears, and they get ravelled up in his
inescapable past.
McConaughey has been trying to gain some respect in recent
years with his roles in more sophisticated features such as Killer Joe and
Magic Mike, and his talent in these roles does make one think; 'Why the fuck
did you do Surfer, Dude?'. He
delivers another compelling performance in Mud, stringing along the audience
with the two child leads into believing his underdog stories and his heroic
positivity, only for that to slowly be pulled apart. Sam Shepard has a
non-descript turn out as Mud's past father figure, whose character doesn't have
enough significance as it should throughout most of the film. Michael Shannon
also returns for a third Jeff Nichols appearance (He was in Nichols' debut
Shotgun Stories as well as Take Shelter) as Neckbone's equally sex-obsessed
uncle Galen, who takes care of him as his parents have been absent since birth.
Shannon delivers a different performance here, straying away from his usual
'broken down, psychologically tortured man' role that he fits into like a peg,
to play this sleazy but caring uncle. His performance doesn't stand out in the
ways his others have done, maybe he should stick to battling his inner demons.
However young Tye Sheridan, fresh from his role in Mallick's Tree Of Life, in
the leading role of Ellis really does impress here. Unlike many actors of his
age, he carries the role with all the subtlety and emotional weight of an
on-screen veteran, displaying an excellent dramatic range for a performer of
his age.
The film's cinematography has enough voyeuristic qualities
to evoke the grittiness put across in the story, and to give a certain amount
of objectivity. When necessary it has an occasional engaging closeness which
makes the relationships in the film that much more believable, and plays the
characters of Mud and Ellis off against each other so well.
The entire film is a parallel between Ellis and Mud; the
whole reason Mud is in the mess he's in is because of the way he strives to protect
the girl he loves. There are multiple parts in the film where Ellis sacrifices
his safety for a female, showing he has the same instincts and ideals as Mud.
Ellis is constantly warned, indirectly or otherwise, by other characters in the
film not to follow the same path as Mud, with Galen telling him "This
river draws up a lot of trash, you gotta know what's worth keeping, and what's
worth throwing away." and his father telling him "Girls are tough.
They'll set you up for things.", All of which warnings he ignores, and
Ellis continues to have faith in Mud's everlasting love for Juniper (Reese
Witherspoon), an innocent faith which lends to the argument that the film is
but a coming-of-age tale of a boy learning the harsh realities of relationships
from the mistakes of a man who never did.
If there's a main criticism of the film, is that the
boiling point is a little sweet. The film strays away from the themes
surrounding Ellis' character, on which the film has been dragging the audience
through for the rest of the film, and switches instead to Mud, in a fairly
lacklustre ending. It unexpectedly discards the grittiness which the tone has
been built on. However this film is still a work of mastery, and Jeff Nichols
is still one to watch.
So, wrap it the fuck up:
McConaughey and Sheridan both give passionate performances,
as does Nichols. A wonderful companion film with a gritty vibe. Not as good as
Take Shelter though, and I'm sure not as good as Nichols' career masterpiece,
which is still to come, and I can't wait.
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