Jeff Nichols is kicking off the year quite well, with his sci-fi thriller Midnight Special premiering at Berlin this past week and his newest film, Loving, starring Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga, having been picked up for a fall release by Focus Features. As for his Close Encounters-inspired feature starring Michael Shannon, Kirsten Dunst, Edgerton, Sam Shepard, Adam Driver, and Jaeden Lieberher, it follows a father who sets to protect his uniquely gifted son while being hunted by a pair of dangerous groups. We now have a new U.K. trailer for the film which shows off more of the adventure.
We said in our review, “Ambiguity might be the most useful item in the science fiction toolbox. Blade Runner’s mysteries still rob people of sleep, and you’d need a wall chart to work out Shane Carruth’s Primer. However, when used in rash abundance — as in this latest film from Mud and Take Shelter director Jeff Nichols — the results can leave the viewer in a rather less complimentary state of bafflement. The details in Midnight Special, Nichols’ homage-heavy sci-fi thriller set in his signature Deep South locale, are sometimes so scant as to be jarring. Yes, less is often more in Hollywood, but it can also be just plain less.”
Check out the new trailer below along with Berlin press conference highlights.
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 arrives on March 18th, 2016.