Crafting yet another tender human fable, Jeff Nichols' third film is a sublimely touching and humble coming-of-age tale that combines the intimate with a mythic sensibility.
Like the most famed films of Vittorio De Sica, the tale finds innocence lost in an adult world. The friendship of two young boys drawn into the life of the titular Mud; a heavily flawed, nomadic character on the run residing in a boat lodged up a tree. A boat pledged by Mud in return for the boys' help to reunite him with the love of his life, the equally flawed Juniper (Reese Witherspoon), who is the source of both his zest for life as well as his doomed nature.
The film feels like a relic from a lost era, the kind of American film more commonly revered in 1960s and early 70s. Only the late Paul Newman in his prime could have played Mud other than McConaughey, who is still going strong in a recent rejuvenation after a string of remarkable performances. If director Jeff Nichols' debut Shotgun Stories (the film most akin to Mud) echoed the literature of William Faulkner somewhat, then his most recent evokes that of Mark Twain, most noticeably The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Another element giving off this rather old-timey feel.With its southern setting, river communities, and a drifter on the fringes of society, one could argue Mud as a partial stand-in for Twain's escapee slave, Jim. The film's heart lies largely with one of the central boys, Ellis (Tye Sheriden), who struggles to act on what he believes is right by helping Mud or by doing what society deems right.
As events unfold Ellis' idealised notions of love, justice, and the literal figure of Mud who standing opaquely eschews his true essence and becomes a role-model to these young boys, wavers as the hurtful adult world gradually seeps in and Mud's flaws slowly reveal. At a pivotal moment where Ellis feels betrayed by those around him, though this is merely adult life knocking, he erupts in a surge of emotion that I haven't seen in a performer so young outside of River Phoenix's short-lived career. The film is littered with fine performances, even small roles for Michael Shannon and veteran Sam Shepard bring weight, but it's Tye Sheriden that the story's heart pounds to.
The film is full of father figures, both absent and/or surrogate, and in its representation of these characters' lives echoes the past, present, and what will possibly come to be. Mud has on him the tattoo of a snake to remind never to get bitten again (due to anti-venom being hopeless after an initial dose) yet he is still destined to repeat past follies regardless of this. His idealised description of his beautiful Juniper recalls the adolescent romanticism within Ellis, the man's vices also hinting at the boy's which begin to grow with experience.
Jeff Nichols has shown a talent for picturing America in a light so rarely seen in cinema. His communities are of humble origins and here in the lakeside people of Arkansas he shows us a fishing society both habitual and yet magical, like the everyday captured in Visconti's La Terra Trema. With three films under his belt, his penchant for character driven storytelling is evident. With a muscular no-nonsense approach to visuals that manages to transcend the ordinary, helped here again by David Wingo's truly enchanting score. Mud confirms Nichols as an important rising voice in American cinema, a talent who over his modest career thus far keeps blossoming with each undertaking.
Take Shelter appears to be an exercise in genre from afar, an apocalyptic tale full of Godly spite and Biblical allegory; up close it's actually a shockingly intimate drama playing down expectations instead embarking on a familial drama charting resurgent mental illness. No need to feel gipped here though as the film is steeped in ambiguity regarding its central character who may (or may not) be plagued with prophetic dreams of the world's end, keeping the stakes high enough for an uncomfortable ride.
Michael Shannon plays Curtis, husband to Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and father to their young deaf daughter Hannah. He works as a construction worker and seems generally happy with his existence, that is until he's haunted by dreams of a deadly storm, a terrifying vision of post-apocalypic hysteria not too distant from Cormac McCarthy's The Road (2009). As the dreams intensify and hallucinatory symptoms emerge causing Curtis to confuse dream with reality he starts pushing those closest to him away as they become involved in his night terrors. With his behaviour become increasingly erratic his wife starts to doubt his health as he becomes determined to protect his family from the oncoming storm, obsessively building a bunker to save them at all cost.
What at first starts as an apocalyptic story not unlike many others proving popular as of late it divulges a different purpose all together; though we're never sure whether Curtis' psychotic episodes are imagined or part of a supernatural prophecy, Take Shelter ripens into a character study regarding the effects of mental illness in the family. Hardly a subject to depict in ease the drama never sets a wrong foot, always sincere and fully realised at every turn it never assumes anything and feels entirely confident in its execution. This is largely helped by the talents of Shannon and Chastain, as we witness the foundations of their marriage crumble we're completely transfixed in their troubles and feel both sides of their desperation. The film's two hours are spent almost entirely focussed on Curtis therefore sidelining Samantha; Jessica Chastain adds such depth and emotion to her that despite following another character throughout she manages to become our emotional compass as we feel her pain and worries over her husband's inexplainable behaviour. We're able to attach to both sides of the marriage making for a successfully conflicting and affective drama.
Writer/director Jeff Nichols announced himself as a young talent to watch with the stunning Shotgun Stories in 2007, which also starred Michael Shannon. With Take Shelter there's no doubt in Nichols as a rising filmmaker seeping with these two understated productions to his name. His knack for building atmosphere and wonder from the most acquainted of subjects - in this case small town America - brings to mind the ponder-some otherworldly qualities of Terrence Malick. Like Malick who emerged in the 70s, Nichols has arrived as a fully formed talent producing confident stately pictures, an occurrence rarely seen in directors this early in a career. In just two films it's clear that Nichols has great affinity for actors, crafting deep resonating scenes around the talents of his cast; with Michael Shannon starring in his third film Mud we're seeing an exciting actor/director relationship continuously evolve. With Shannon - a huge talent with possibly the most impactful presence of any actor working today - able to be contained and used with precise craft by a director showing as much promise as Nichols, anything produced from them in the future will be highly anticipated.
Take Shelter is impossible to fault, those that can were perhaps expecting a middle-of-the-road genre picture offering cheap thrills. It operates as both a subjective supernatural thriller and topical family drama with the most fulfilling of results. It may not offer any new revealing notes regarding mental illness remaining reticent in its dealings though consistently respectful to the topic. This of course was never the sole aim and by remaining ambiguous till the end we never know how much truth was in Curtis' visions but from either side of the truth both remain fully realised and impressive. Everything about Take Shelter is stirring making it a firm recommended watch.
