Movie No. 190 (2013): MUD
Mud (2013)
Director: Jeff Nichols
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Reese Witherspoon, Sam Shephard, Michael Shannon, Jacob Lofland
Two boys, Ellis and Neckbone, find a fugitive in a small, snake-infested island in Mississippi. In what seems like Great Expectation-esque turn of events at the start of the movie, the two boys (specially Ellis) form a bond with the fugitive who introduces himself as Mud. The boys learn from Mud some fantastic truth about his hiding in the island: he says he killed a man in Texas, now bounty hunters are after him, and he's in the island waiting for his girlfriend to escape together to somewhere. The boys, skeptical at first, agree on a deal to help Mud. On the side, Ellis deals with growing pains. His parents are on the verge of divorce. He misinterprets a girl's fondness of him for a reciprocation of his crush on her.
Director: Jeff Nichols
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Reese Witherspoon, Sam Shephard, Michael Shannon, Jacob Lofland
Two boys, Ellis and Neckbone, find a fugitive in a small, snake-infested island in Mississippi. In what seems like Great Expectation-esque turn of events at the start of the movie, the two boys (specially Ellis) form a bond with the fugitive who introduces himself as Mud. The boys learn from Mud some fantastic truth about his hiding in the island: he says he killed a man in Texas, now bounty hunters are after him, and he's in the island waiting for his girlfriend to escape together to somewhere. The boys, skeptical at first, agree on a deal to help Mud. On the side, Ellis deals with growing pains. His parents are on the verge of divorce. He misinterprets a girl's fondness of him for a reciprocation of his crush on her.
The best thing about the film is the way it takes time to unfold the story and the back stories that contribute to the development of important characters. And it appears that all of the characters, even the minor ones, are important. Even the three women characters which are portrayed in the film in a way that might attract the ire of some overreacting feminists are very vital in the coming-of age of the boys, specially Ellis.
This is truly an exceptional film with outstanding performances.
Rating: 4.0/4.0
Date seen: November 3, 2013
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