On the run
BY JONATHAN KANE
Indie filmmaker Jeff Nichols has risen to the top of the heap with such films as “Mud” and “Take Shelter.” Now he has offered up a mysterious sci-fi film called “Midnight Special” that will please fans of the genre and remind audiences of classics like “Starman” and “E.T.”
Part of the charm of the film is that you are thrown into the story headfirst as it already is barreling along. We are given the information that there is an amber alert out for a kidnapped 8-year-old boy and find ourselves in a motel room with the boy and two adult men, one of them his biological father, played by Michael Shannon, and his childhood friend, played by Joel Edgerton.
The 8-year-old, an excellent Jaeden Lieberher (“St. Vincent”), has extraordinary powers, including speaking in tongues and shooting powerful beams of light out of his eyes. He has been taken from his home, a cult-like ranch led by Sam Shepard, where he is considered their savior, and now is being pursued by the cult as well as the FBI. His father is trying to get him to a place for a mysterious rendezvous and has four days to reach their destination while the boy physically deteriorates.
Nichols spins the mysterious plot expertly, but the film does have its ponderous moments and may not be hyped up enough for the average sci-fi fan. It boasts an excellent cast, including Kirsten Dunst as the boy’s mother, who understands that she may be losing him shortly, and Adam Driver as the NSA agent that feels the boy is a risk to national security. Excellent camera work is also provided by Adam Stone. In all, it’s worth checking out, but the film will probably not reach a wide audience.
