This is a film about a very special boy with supernatural abilities. So special is Alton Meyer that the group who look after him have created a church, whose sermons and beliefs are based on his words. The boy is taken and it is vital to his followers that they get him back, as he holds the key to their salvation.
We soon learn that Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) has been taken by his father, Roy (Michael Shannon). Roy is assisted by his friend, Lucas (Joel Edgerton), and later the boy’s mother, Sarah (Kirsten Dunst). This family-on-the-run is pursued by Alton’s fanatical followers as well as the FBI while they try to protect the boy so that he can fulfil his true destiny.
Right from the start this is an intriguing film and initially the events unfold with very little explanation. The viewer is forced to piece together the story from the disparate fragments we are given which makes for compelling viewing. I can honestly say that at no point in this film did I know what was going to happen next. This film is rivetingly unpredictable.
Midnight Special is undoubtedly a science fiction film, but more of a grown-up one. It is a gripping, character-based drama with a cracking script that keeps your attention right to the end. Special effects sequences are used sparingly in this film and carefully fuse the supernatural with the natural. This makes the whole thing disturbingly believable. The sequence at the gas station is stunning.
A lot of the film is set at night while Roy, Lucas, Sarah and Alton drive under the cover of darkness to evade capture. This adds to the tension, as you can’t always see what’s going on and you never know what’s around the next corner. Tempers fray amongst this tired, hungry and usually injured family, and you really feel for their plight.
Writer and director Jeff Nichols has done a great job here and is building up an impressive CV; Shotgun Stories (2007), Take Shelter (2011) and Mud (2012). Like many directors, Nichols has his favoured actors to work with. In Midnight Special he is again working with Sam Shepard, who he worked with on Mud. He has also cast Michael Shannon again, who he has worked with on all of his previous films.
The supporting characters in this film aren’t fully fleshed out. Lucas (Edgerton) is little more than an amiable and loyal puppy. Even Sarah (Dunst) just spends most of the film on the verge of tears. But this doesn’t really matter, as the film is about just three people: Paul Sevier, Alton Meyer and Roy.
Paul Sevier (Adam Driver) of the NSA is brought in by the FBI as a consultant to assist in their investigations. Adam Driver is great in this role. He is given the difficult task of injecting humour into what is a very serious story – he does this brilliantly. When Driver is onscreen, the audience is finally given a chance to breathe. Jaeden Lieberher is wonderful as the eight year old Alton Meyer. Kirsten Dunst couldn’t praise him highly enough when interviewed by Graham Norton. It is a captivating performance, and I’ll use the phrase again, “disturbingly believable”.
The star of this film, however, is Michael Shannon. He is the tortured soul and devoted father. Shannon forces us to experience the pain and anguish of every setback as well as the joy and inner peace of every triumph. It is a performance for the mind as he whispers Nichols‘ script, then pauses as we wonder what he will say next. It is a performance for the heart as our wait is rewarded with an honesty of delivery that fires bullets and murmurs prayers.
This film is definitely worth seeing. Perhaps Jeff Nichols will tinker with this project Ridley Scott-style and fashion an alternative ending for the home entertainment release? Maybe they only filmed one anyway. Let’s see what is in the Blu-ray release’s ‘special features’ section.
Author – Simon, Norwich store
