I missed this one in theaters as it only had a limited release here, and I was not able to drive over and see it before it's run ended. So, been waiting patiently for it to hit Itunes. I bought it on Itunes, I never do that with movies I have not seen, but Jeff Nichols has made a few films that I absolutely love, Mud, Shotgun Stories, and Take Shelter. I'm also a big fan of his brother's band Lucero, and his brother's solo work (Ben Nichols, Last Pale Light in The West) so I just said "OK, just buy it, you will probably like it" and I did. I loved it.
Definitely a throw back film. It's a chase movie, it's a science fiction movie, it's a drama about damaged people trying to do the right thing. It's a father and son story. A well made film that doesn't always connect the dots for you, which are my favorite kind. Now, Nichols has already made a film like this, with Take Shelter. A film that builds up to the final moments, has supernatural elements, and a bigger mystery. And while I liked Take Shelter, I didn't feel he took the ideas far enough. This time though, I think he hit just the right notes, and took the ideas and the visuals to just the right places.
I picked up the soundtrack right after watching it. It has a fantastic score.
I've watched the movie three times since yesterday. It's just as much fun to watch the second time, knowing everything you didn't know the first. Again, I really enjoy those kinds of movies.
It is a bit slow in a few places, but never boring, and it's certainly not an action film, though it does have a bit of gunplay, and a couple decent chase scenes. But the plot is driven entirely by it's characters, and really just little Alton is the focus of everything. It makes for an interesting dynamic.
All in all, this has cemented Jeff Nichols as one of my favorite writer/directors. For me, this film was a home run.
