ShockYa: The previous film from director Jeff Nichols was Take Shelter, a magnetically haunting story of a man struggling with mental illness and trying to avoid losing his grip on reality. For his third feature film, Nichols takes an external approach, showcasing a very adult story through the eyes of two teenage boys in Arkansas whose encounter with a mysterious man on an island leads down a dangerous road. The same intensity and underlying sense of dread can be found in this entirely different film, which frequently inserts humor into a story filled with violence and very real life-threatening situations.
ges-sa.com | "Writer/Director Jeff Nichols returns for his third feature film, and the announcement of this film definitely had me excited! After his masterpiece, ‘Take Shelter’, I will not miss any of his future films. Nichols is definitely one of those film-makers that thrive on their own work, because I don’t see how anyone else could direct his writing or why he would direct a screenplay written by someone else. Mud was screened at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and competed for the Palme d’Or. It was also shown at the Sundance Film Festival. So, how does this compare to his previous film? It doesn’t, it’s a very different story but ‘Mud’ is just as brilliant!"
Mud is a moving exploration into the nature of manhood, with superb performances, striking location and engrossing story creating a mesmerising and heartfelt coming of age drama.
Independent Cinema writes: If there’s a director that can already be considered one of the best of the past couple years, it’s Jeff Nichols. Shotgun Stories was a simple, but engaging tale of the importance of family and the destructive nature of blood feuds, while Take Shelter took a more lyrical approach to telling the story of a man slowly unraveling before our very eyes. The beauty of his stories are that they carry a significant meaning which feel masterly done, and always deliver incredible performances from his cast. Mud is no different, as Nichols demonstrates the importance of storytelling under the guise of a slow-moving southern crime drama.
