‘He’s not dangerous.’
‘Sounds like a shit load of state troopers think differently.’
Best friends Ellis and Neckbone live in rural Arkansas where the Mississippi river is their playground. Ellis lives with his troubled father and unhappy mother, while uncle Galen takes care of Neckbone. The boys go to a nearby island to check on a boat that landed between the trees after a flood. They can see themselves using the boat as an alternative tree house when Ellis discovers a couple of fresh bootprints, a fresh loaf of bread and canned food. They realize that someone has been living there. This is how they meet Mud, a scruffy but fit looking guy – with a great shirt and a chipped tooth – who says is waiting on somebody and if the kids could get him some more food. This is the start of an unlikely friendship, the two kids learn about Muds predicament and his deep love for girlfriend Juniper. The pair is to help him and love a helping hand.
This movie could easily be named Ellis. He is the main character and the world of this movie is seen through his eyes (but I guess Matthew McConaughey and his Mud are more appealling Box Office wise and he is the catalyst of Ellis’ inner and outer journey). Ellis is soft-spoken, polite but with the heart of a lion. He gets served with lessons of the importance and dynamic of love and relationships from all angles. He has to sift through adult lies, compromises, complexities and the way men and women relate to each other. His coming of age is not a gentle one, it is one with betrayal, disillusionment, confusing and frustration. The movie has a lot of symbolism, in the form of spiders, snakes and birds.
Tye Sherican plays the part of Ellis who acted in Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life. He is a breath of fresh air, his brooding and observing gaze has you wondering what it is that goes around that 14-year-old brain. Jacob Lofland plays Neckbone and even though he hasn’t had previous acting experience he plays Neckbone with such ease and comfort, one cannot conclude different that there is some real talent there. The kids had no problem with riding dirt bikes as it is all part of growing up in the south. Reese Witherspoon plays Juniper, Mud’s love interest he’s desperate to reconnect with. I love that all these actors are originally from the south, they know the atmosphere, the setting, the culture and the feel. They are totally comfortable in these surroundings (this is including the director and the cinematographer). The river becomes a character of its own. It pays homage to Mark Twain’s characters and books of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (Huckleberry was based on a childhood friend of Twain called Tom Blankenship, the name of a character in this film). The only thing missing is a Mississippi river boat.
The cinematography is stunning and probably best enjoyed in a real movie theater (shot on Super 35mm film – not digital). Cinematographer Adam stone has worked with director Jeff Nichols on his other projects: Taking Shelter and Shotgun Stories. This style of filmmaking had a certain nostalgic feel to it which reminded me of movies like Stand By Me and more recent Super 8. There are no fancy view points or savvy editing. I love the fact that this movie is thick, stuffy with nature breathing, living and making noise. The story is linear, chronological and straight forward. The characters are so rounded and well-developed they could be real people, you’ve probably met some of them. Apparently the parts for Matthew and Sam (Shepard) were written with these two men in mind. The move overall pacing is easy but there is also intrigue, danger and high tension too!
I loved it! Great entertainment with substance on various levels.
The Ellipsis 