Written and directed by Jeff Nichols
Two men are on the run. With them is a young boy, who we learn from the news has been kidnapped. Earmuffs and goggles are the extent of his restraint, although we also note that the eyehole on the motel door has been taped over, the window boarded up.
The scene shifts to an office, with the TV tuned to the same channel. The man behind the desk tells the other two they have four days to get the boy back. One of these two would later wonder out loud: “I’m an electrician, certified in two states. What do I know about these things?”
What do we really know of anything, anyway? The boss exits the office and emerges into a packed chapel. Moments later, federal agents swarm into the room. Apparently, the cult has of late been stocking up on weapons. Also, the leader/preacher has in his sermons been referencing a series of coordinates that should be known only to the National Security Agency.
The most curious item in the questionnaire given to the cult members is the one asking how well they know someone named Alton Meyer. He is the kidnapped boy, revealed to be the source of said coordinates, which the congregation believes are from God.
This film is written and directed by Jeff Nichols, the same guy behind Shotgun Stories (2007), Take Shelter (2011), and Mud (2012). If you have not heard of any of those titles, I can at least tell you that this is his most commercial effort to date, a good old sci-fi drama that depends less on special effects than on how its characters grapple with the possibility that helping this child might mean losing him. He is getting sicker by the day, and yet insists that he be at a certain location at a certain date. What awaits him there, nobody knows, least of all him. Clearly this child is special, but how do you embrace that which you can not even begin to comprehend?
This movie challenges you to accept, if not the parallel world it suggests, then the unwavering faith of the parents. Michael Shannon and Kirsten Dunst work from a script that requires them to project rather than speak, and they hit all the right notes. To them, what makes Alton special is the simple fact that he is their child. How many movies have we had to suffer that over-explained the supernatural element to the detriment of the human? Here’s one that takes an unlikely subject matter to remind us what is most special about ourselves.
This post has no comments.
Post a Comment