Midnight Special

The summer blockbusters seem to get released earlier every year, probably because there are more of them as everyone is trying to capitalize on the appeal of multi-film universes. Even Scooby-Doo is set to get into the game in the next few years, that’s how crazy it’s become. Amidst these, keep your eye out for the little gems, the movies that don’t have big budgets and that make up for it in originality, like “Midnight Special” for example. Part thriller, part family drama, this science fiction film deserves your attention.

Roy (Michael Shannon) and his son Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) are on the run after escaping from a cult who believes the young boy is a new messiah. Along with the cult leader, the FBI are also in pursuit, investigating the rumours that the boy has special powers.

“Midnight Special” has much of the same appeal Jeff Nichols’ other films. Strong performances (even from young Lieberher) and good writing throughout are quickly becoming trademarks of his. When you hear the premise of this movie, you think you’ve got the characters figured out. Father and son? Good. People who help them out? Also good. FBI and cultists? Evil. But there’s more to it than that. A big part of this film is the mystery of Alton’s abilities. What is he exactly? A mutant? An alien? An escaped government experiment? Is he dangerous? If he is, you better be cheering for the FBI. If anyone knows what to do with him, it’s them. What if there’s nothing to the boy, really? I mean he came from a weird plantation where people host midnight masses and read scriptures I’ve never heard of… maybe the news reports we hear throughout the film have some truth to the and this is little more than a kidnapping. I found the mystery very compelling. There’s a constant sense of unease. You never who, amid all of these groups of people moving in the same direction are going to bump into our heroes first, or when and who you can trust is another mystery thrown in the mix for good measure. The writing is just right. It gives you the correct amount of information to keep you guessing without feeling like it’s cheating you while leaving room for actors like Michael Shannon, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver and Joel Egerton to fill in the blanks with their performances. They project the things that can’t be simply written down on paper, but speak volumes about the situation and the people on screen. I really like what they did with the father/son relationship here. Shannon’s character is very reserved but you sense a churning maelstrom of emotion beneath the surface just in the way he handles his face.

This film has a lot of the same appeal as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. The visuals, for instance are this nice mix of beautiful, but enigmatic and frightening. It’s compelling so you want to see what happens and you don’t blame the people involved for wanting to get to the bottom of it, but you also want them to keep their distance, just in case they need to turn tail and run.

I don’t think “Midnight Special” is as good as say… “Mud” but the more I turn this story over in my head, the more I like it. I feel that the ending is particularly strong, even though at first it left me uneasy. I’m not sure how I would describe it. I’d be scared that the wrong adjective would give too much away, or lead you in the wrong impression. Perhaps it’s best that you just check it out for yourself. I hope you make the time to see “Midnight Special”. (Theatrical version on the big screen, April 17, 2016)