No matter (or perhaps because of) the mixed review we posted out of Berlinale, the rest of us are as curious as ever to see Jeff Nichols‘ Midnight Special — despite, on my own part, not knowing much about the plot (other than what I had to read while editing and have since tried to forget) and having avoided all footage. Consider this a natural result of the writer-director’s admirable output, which takes a small handful of preoccupations (family, country life, violence’s effect on youth) and avoids monotonous patterns in storytelling.
Along with a new U.K. trailer and three clips, the curious will want to pore over a recent, fine Wired profile that tracks Nichols’ career up to Midnight Special‘s push towards theaters. Their time-jumping article also contextualizes the path he’s taken towards today, particularly those ways in which economic realities shape any ambitious filmmaker’s decisions. (Take, for instance, the matter of exposition: everything stated, including David Gordon Green’s criticisms, proved central to our review’s ambivalent response.) Knowing we’ll soon see the next step in this evolution — one that involved Nichols telling a top studio player, “Look, I want to be a Warner Bros. director. I want this to be a Warner Bros. film. I’m not playing you.” — is an exciting thing.
Watch all below (via Screen Relish) and check out a new Mondo poster and images:
Synopsis:
In the sci-fi thriller “Midnight Special,” writer/director Jeff Nichols proves again that he is one of the most compelling storytellers of our time, as a father (Michael Shannon) goes on the run to protect his young son, Alton (Jaeden Lieberher), and uncover the truth behind the boy’s special powers. What starts as a race from religious extremists and local law enforcement quickly escalates to a nationwide manhunt involving the highest levels of the Federal Government. Ultimately his father risks everything to protect Alton and help fulfill a destiny that could change the world forever in this genre–defying film as supernatural as it is intimately human.
Midnight Special will enter a limited release on March 18 and expand wide in April.