"You can't trust love; it will up and run out on you". That is what
the main character Ellis is told in this film by his father, who is
getting ready to go through a divorce. It takes a lot for me to say a
movie is perfect, and I swear that someday soon some flick will get one
or two stars from me. But this is where my readers and film connoisseurs
get their dinner and dessert to boot.
Director Jeff Nichols said that
he wanted to bottle the excitement and pain of being a teenager and as
far back as the 1990's; had envisioned Matthew McCaunoghey as an actor
in it. Paying homage to the lifestyle; river culture, and scenery of
Arkansas, this is the biggest production ever shot in the state.
Tye Sheridan as Ellis and Jacob Lofland as his adolescent sidekick
Neckbone are making their way down the Mississippi when they find a boat
that is high up in the tree from floods of the past. They poke around
inside and find that a fugitive (McConaughey's character Mud) is hiding
inside. Both are coming of age early because of the roughneck culture of
the area; yet still hanging on to their childhood in different ways.
The parallels to classics like "Stand by Me" are abundant; but not
overused or earmarked too much. We are shown a man who has killed
someone out of his love for a woman, and is marooned until some form of
help arrives.
As any teenager would have to ponder, the two boys make a decision to
trust Mud. They know that he is inherently dangerous, but they
immediately think that he is not a threat to them. So many good things
happen here; the usual throwback to Mark Twain doesn't even scratch the
surface. You can almost smell the river catch and hear the old Ford
trucks try to start up in the morning.
These characters are something concocted even deeper than the first
layer of Americana; deep in the creekbanks and Piggly Wiggly stores of
the south. This America is not as concerned with texting and Iphones
(yet), and family roots are so troubled and encompassing that they could
shift a home's foundation. The fixation with the river, old motors,
salvaged parts, and first pangs of teenage love even bring to mind the
way the first "Karate Kid" movie spins its plot.
Seeing Joe Don Baker cast as the leader of the ring that wants Mud
dead is perfect, as is Sam Shephard in the role of a neighbor across the
river who may or may not do something for Mud. About 45 minutes into
the film we are shown more sunrises, more tension, small dirty hotel
rooms, and Reese Witherspoon's character of Juniper is amazingly taut
and fitting for the storyline.
As more and more happens, you are not lost in the script, or
production values. Yes, the end is a bit different and feels like it had
a different director's touch. It seems that pictures like "No Country
For Old Men" are inspiration here for themes like desolation and loner
issues. When a movie closely examines not only the plot at hand, but the
whole landscape it takes place in with painstaking effort, it has to be
selected by me as a triumph.
The vision of a class that could never find paradise but can only
find unrest and crawfish; is impeccable. I went in preparing to be
engrossed and went far beyond. If you have experienced teenage love,
divorce, or being on the lamb, this film will speak to you. All I can
say is "Bravo" and let the sentiment wash over you; we all have
abandoned boats or salvaged motors dancing around in our subconscious
somewhere.
