Mud - Jeff Nichols
A fugitive living on an island is discovered by two boys. The story is told through the eyes of one of the boys and this allows so really interesting narrative things to be done.
All of the normal story elements are a bit out of whack here, especially the prize and the price. Ellis, Tye Sheridan (Deadpool 2, Ready Player One), is the lead and we see the story through his young eyes.
Because the story is his the stakes in it are his as well. So the cost of the family home for a chance at love and new friends is a fair balance.
Mud, Matthew McConaughey (Amistad, A Time To Kill) plays the eccentric fugitive the boys find. He talks in riddles and sayings.
He believes in superstitions and his actions support what he says. What is so interesting about Mud is that what he says could actually all be true.
The supporting cast is superb as well. Reece Witherspoon (Walk The Line, Inherent Vice) is Juniper, the object of Mud’s story and the reason he is on the island.
Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story, Serenity) is fantastic as Ellis’ mum.
What I like about the cast is that they all fit their roles well. And despite some of these actors being big names – none of them overstay their welcome on screen.
The setup for the events in the story is well-handled. We are warned that someone is going to get bitten by a snake as Mud recounts when he was when he was a child.
There is more than one occurrence of this sort of foreshadowing and it is great each time. The use of Ellis growing up and getting his first girlfriend is a great parallel and reflection of Mud’s story and life.
Ultimately this is a love story. The crisis for Ellis is when he sees Mud and Juniper’s love fail.
Ellis learns that he should pursue failed love and that perhaps this wasn’t love in the first place. It allows him to move on from his failed relationship and also to see his mum and dad’s failed marriage more clearly
I enjoyed the performances and the almost allegorical way that mud speaks. The foreshadowing way of storytelling is also a favourite. I wouldn’t say I liked how the film ended with a big shootout. Not sure how I wanted it to end but it felt counter to the rest of the film.
