Midnight Special - directed by Jeff Nichols
Starring: Michael Shannon, Adam Driver, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Jaeden Lieberher, Sam Shepard, Bill Camp, Scott Haze, Paul Sparks, David Jensen, Sharon Landry, Dana Gourrier, Sean Bridgers
Screenplay: Jeff Nichols
The blurb in this years NZIFF brochure describes Jeff Nichols' latest offering as 'Spielbergian'.
This is a popular adjective of late - the Netflix show "Stranger Things" bore the description in many publications and on many websites.
While I agree with the label in the case of the excellent 8 part tv show I don't in relation to this film.
'Carpentarian' would probably be more apt.
The tone, the characters and even the score are far closer to the likes of "Starman" and "They Live" than "E.T: The Extraterrestrial" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".
The plot also lines up more with John Carpenters brilliant "Starman" than any of The Bearded Ones movies.
Here we have a Father escorting his son across the United States in order to get him to an unrevealed location for a smiliarly unrevealed purpose.
Beginning with the chatter of tv news reports describing the fugitive Roy Tomlin and his son Alton Meyer then fading in on a closeup of a piece of duct tape covering a hotel door peephole we have an abundance of information delivered to us in extraordinarily efficient fashion.
Roy and his partner Lucas are shown hurriedly preparing to leave the hotel room with young Alton and already less than five minutes in we know plenty about them.
The following sequence in which the men drive with headlights off using night vision goggles while Alton reads a Superman comic in the back adds tension and intrigue.
For every detail that we are afforded more questions arise.
It makes this film constantly intriguing.
Alton has some sort of special abilities.
So special in fact that a religious cult believe that he is the secret to their salvation.
The boy has been removed from the ranch that houses the organisation and they are not happy about it.
Two men are dispatched by the groups leader (Sam Shepard) to retrieve the child.
Also keen to find him are the FBI who raid the ranch and question the cult members.
Heading the questioning is Paul Sevier (Adam Driver)
Sevier is not FBI and we will not find out exactly what he is until late in the movie.
Driver is inspired casting here.
This character could have become a sort of Peter Coyote 'Keys' from "E.T" in the wrong hands but Driver gives Paul a far more innocent and likeable personality than that.
It keeps the tone on track.
Everything outside of his character is pretty intense and it is a smart move having a character that has the ability to add the odd moment of levity and humour.
The threat of violence is ever present be it from the duo of armed cult members or even Lucas and Roy themselves.
As Lucas Joel Edgerton is the professional of the pair.
He has been by far my favourite of the current crop of Aussie actors and I loved his work in this film.
Unsurprisingly though the star of the show is Michael Shannon as Roy.
Shannon has appeared in all four of director Nichols' features and indeed in his not yet released fifth.
As Roy Shannon is single minded in his drive to get his son to where he needs to go despite the realisation that in doing so he may be losing him forever.
There are moments where Nichols allows the camera to dwell on Shannon's face and we can see the turmoil and inner debate going on via his subtle expressiveness.
I also appreciated how genuine the friendship between Roy and Lucas came across.
We are told that were childhood friends and although we don't have a lot of time to establish this the truth of it is abundantly clear.
It is a core relationship in the film but by now means the only one.
Kirsten Dunst appears about halfway through the movie as Alton's Mother and as she is inclined to do of late performs brilliantly.
I was a fan of Dunst from when she starred as a child in "Interview With the Vampire" and after she navigated some rough seas in her twenties in some poorly chosen roles that required little from her aside from her considerable physical appeal she emerged again as the talent she always promised to be.
Her work in Lars von Trier's "Melancholia" was for me her resurgence and it continues strongly here.
Again- due to the pace and the forward momentum of the pot Dunst doesn't have a lot of time to build her character but she nails it- utterly.
One comment I heard while leaving the cinema tonight was that the movie wasn't really a festival movie because it didn't have a twist!
I don't subscribe to the special idiocy of this comment - film festivals are about presenting good films and this is damned fine one.
It is devoid of a twist because it simply doesn't need one.
It is a remarkably well made, finely acted and shot film that forgoes whizz bang effects or cheap surprises because it has enough intrigue and intelligence to keep it entertaining.
I liked this movie a lot and found myself glued firmly to the seat for its entire length.
The storytelling is as slick and efficient as you could hope for and the more that I have thought about it since the screening the more I find I have to mull over.
It has a lot to say about friendship, loyalty, religion and parenthood and does so with subtlety and some wonderfully constructed scenes.
It is highly intense and yet touching and with moments of humour.
This is visual storytelling of the highest order.
RATING: 85 / 100
CONCLUSION: A staggeringly well made movie - beautifully shot and acted. A simple plot is delivered in a perfectly paced movie populated with wonderfully well written characters and dialogue. Great.
Screenplay: Jeff Nichols
Music Score by: David Wingo
Cinematography: Adam Stone
Edited by: Julie Monroe
Running Time: 112 minutes
Language: English
Rated: TBC - violence - pretty mild
Cinematography: Adam Stone
Edited by: Julie Monroe
Running Time: 112 minutes
Language: English
Rated: TBC - violence - pretty mild
The blurb in this years NZIFF brochure describes Jeff Nichols' latest offering as 'Spielbergian'.
This is a popular adjective of late - the Netflix show "Stranger Things" bore the description in many publications and on many websites.
While I agree with the label in the case of the excellent 8 part tv show I don't in relation to this film.
'Carpentarian' would probably be more apt.
The tone, the characters and even the score are far closer to the likes of "Starman" and "They Live" than "E.T: The Extraterrestrial" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".
The plot also lines up more with John Carpenters brilliant "Starman" than any of The Bearded Ones movies.
Here we have a Father escorting his son across the United States in order to get him to an unrevealed location for a smiliarly unrevealed purpose.
Beginning with the chatter of tv news reports describing the fugitive Roy Tomlin and his son Alton Meyer then fading in on a closeup of a piece of duct tape covering a hotel door peephole we have an abundance of information delivered to us in extraordinarily efficient fashion.
Roy and his partner Lucas are shown hurriedly preparing to leave the hotel room with young Alton and already less than five minutes in we know plenty about them.
The following sequence in which the men drive with headlights off using night vision goggles while Alton reads a Superman comic in the back adds tension and intrigue.
For every detail that we are afforded more questions arise.
It makes this film constantly intriguing.
 |
| The superb cast - Joel Edgerton, Michael Shannon, Jaeden Lieberher, Kirsten Dunst and Sam Shepard |
So special in fact that a religious cult believe that he is the secret to their salvation.
The boy has been removed from the ranch that houses the organisation and they are not happy about it.
Two men are dispatched by the groups leader (Sam Shepard) to retrieve the child.
Also keen to find him are the FBI who raid the ranch and question the cult members.
Heading the questioning is Paul Sevier (Adam Driver)
Sevier is not FBI and we will not find out exactly what he is until late in the movie.
Driver is inspired casting here.
This character could have become a sort of Peter Coyote 'Keys' from "E.T" in the wrong hands but Driver gives Paul a far more innocent and likeable personality than that.
It keeps the tone on track.
Everything outside of his character is pretty intense and it is a smart move having a character that has the ability to add the odd moment of levity and humour.
The threat of violence is ever present be it from the duo of armed cult members or even Lucas and Roy themselves.
As Lucas Joel Edgerton is the professional of the pair.
He has been by far my favourite of the current crop of Aussie actors and I loved his work in this film.
 |
| Jaeden Lieberher as Alton - special powers and an excellent performance |
Shannon has appeared in all four of director Nichols' features and indeed in his not yet released fifth.
As Roy Shannon is single minded in his drive to get his son to where he needs to go despite the realisation that in doing so he may be losing him forever.
There are moments where Nichols allows the camera to dwell on Shannon's face and we can see the turmoil and inner debate going on via his subtle expressiveness.
I also appreciated how genuine the friendship between Roy and Lucas came across.
We are told that were childhood friends and although we don't have a lot of time to establish this the truth of it is abundantly clear.
It is a core relationship in the film but by now means the only one.
Kirsten Dunst appears about halfway through the movie as Alton's Mother and as she is inclined to do of late performs brilliantly.
I was a fan of Dunst from when she starred as a child in "Interview With the Vampire" and after she navigated some rough seas in her twenties in some poorly chosen roles that required little from her aside from her considerable physical appeal she emerged again as the talent she always promised to be.
Her work in Lars von Trier's "Melancholia" was for me her resurgence and it continues strongly here.
Again- due to the pace and the forward momentum of the pot Dunst doesn't have a lot of time to build her character but she nails it- utterly.
 |
| Adam Driver as Paul - nicely balanced moments of humour amidst the intensity |
I don't subscribe to the special idiocy of this comment - film festivals are about presenting good films and this is damned fine one.
It is devoid of a twist because it simply doesn't need one.
It is a remarkably well made, finely acted and shot film that forgoes whizz bang effects or cheap surprises because it has enough intrigue and intelligence to keep it entertaining.
I liked this movie a lot and found myself glued firmly to the seat for its entire length.
The storytelling is as slick and efficient as you could hope for and the more that I have thought about it since the screening the more I find I have to mull over.
It has a lot to say about friendship, loyalty, religion and parenthood and does so with subtlety and some wonderfully constructed scenes.
It is highly intense and yet touching and with moments of humour.
This is visual storytelling of the highest order.
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