In one of the strongest scenes of Midnight Special, Roy (Michael Shannon), his estranged partner, Sarah (Kirsten Dunst), and their powerful son, Alton (Jaeden Liberher) are with each other for the first time in two years. Roy has brought his son to Sarah’s new home in search of a hideout from the authorities. The broken family sits together in a circle pondering on their future after running from the cult they belonged to and the authorities – both for the powers Alton possesses. Alton isn’t just a possible savior for the cult that is following them, but for his parents as well.
Director Jeff Nichols, known for low-budget indie films Mud and Take Shelter, attempts another portrait of family and faith in his signature southern style. Except now he adds a massive dose of science fiction into the mix. At times frustrating, yet easily admirable, Midnight Special is Nichols’ worst film, but that says something about the work the director has attached himself to and the quality of his filmography. Working best on a metaphoric level, this heavily inspired tale attempts to grab upon an importance it can’t reach.
Roy and childhood friend, Lucas (a subdued, but excellent Joel Edgerton) are on the run with Alton. Hiding from the Westboro-esque cult and various agencies (FBI, NSA, etc…), the trio hides in hotel rooms with cardboard covering the windows and a bag full of guns in tow. They are heading to a location for a specific time to which there may be an event that could change the world. These things aren’t revealed to the audience until the very end and a large majority of the questions of the film will not be answered, nor does Nichols care if you do know. The central maguffin of the film is what will happen on that date, but the film relies on it too much for the journey to be entirely enjoyable. His reliance on mood can’t carry the entire film into something higher, when plot is necessary for a mystery of such nature.
What Nichols does right is the same mood he has always been good at. In a world that relies heavily on another John Carpenter-type score and feel, Nichols and composer David Wingo rely on the score in quiet moments without overwhelming the audience and calling too much attention to itself (I’m looking at you, 10 Cloverfield Lane). The cinematography by Adam Stone is equal parts naturalistic and wondrous, taking inspiration from early Spielberg efforts. The direction is incredibly effective, especially in the scenes where Alton’s powers are shown to the audience. Most of the action is very well done, the highlights being a meteor shower midway through the film and an explosion affecting the environment around the characters.
The cast is excellent as well. Michael Shannon (a collaborator in all of Jeff Nichols’ films) is particularly well-used as a father unwilling to let his son go. He doesn’t go beyond what we’ve seen of Shannon before, but he’s more subdued than what we’re used to. Dunst and Sam Shepard (head of the criminal cult) are very good for their brief roles in the film, Shepard having a total of maybe 5 minutes of screen time. Believable, but not spectacular is Lieberher’s performance of the so-called prophet, Alton. His acting displays the innocence that is expected of the role, but is bland in most scenes. MVPs of the film are Adam Driver and Joel Edgerton. Both actors add levity to an otherwise humorless film and a lifeline to any storylines that aren’t the main plot of a family on the run. Edgerton has a scene early on in the film involving a car crash that I won’t get into in fear of spoilers that lets him tell so much with so little material, you can feel every emotion because of his performance. Driver is an audience surrogate that is important to the plot, sometimes in ways that make you think he is mildly autistic (especially in a scene where he looks at a whiteboard and, out of the blue, has it all figured out). The performances don’t make or break the film, but they work to add a little life to the film when they can.
With good sci-fi, a world is set before the audience. The world will be used to tell a tale of real life in an unreal world. We are dropped in this new world, picking up the pieces to understand what we are seeing and why it is important. Midnight Special holds back important information to the understanding of the story and some of its characters, leaving the audience in a state of mystery throughout the entirety of the runtime. By the time we get to the climax, Nichols expects us to feel something emotionally after dropping a bombshell that we’re still trying to get our head around. Mildly infuriating at times, Midnight Special asks the audience to care about the family, but not to worry much on the specifics of the plot. What isn’t understood by the director, is that we need those specifics to learn along with the characters what is going on. It is equally dumbfounding and intriguing to see all the sci-fi concepts on hand that are never reflected on in full.
A story of Christianity and family, without beating you over the head with its themes, Midnight Special has the power to anger and fall in love with the film, all in the same scene. Despite the anger I felt for a decent portion of Nichols’ latest, it’s a movie that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible. When the moments of awe are on the screen, it’s hard not to embrace it. All the beauty outweighs the ugly, a message that isn’t lost upon the characters of this film.