"Midnight Special" - Review

Ever-Loving Light

The title Midnight Special very likely refers to an old folk song from the South, an area that director Jeff Nichols has a deep love for. This love shows throughout every single one of his past films and continues here. The song refers to a train that passes by slaves and prisoners; a train with an ever-loving light. If you are caught in the light, you will soon be free. In Midnight Special, light literally shines from a boy's eyes, but it is a frightening ordeal. It is not until he is able to embrace the light that he understands it and what makes him so different. We see this through a father's eyes as he strives to protect his incredibly special son from the horrors that are out to get him. He soon learns that love is about making the toughest choices and the sacrifices that have to be made to fulfill it. His son is the prisoner and he needs to be freed.

Through sustained tension and wonder, Midnight Special examines the mysteries of this love and becomes an excellent exercise in tone that will enlighten you as much as it intrigues.



To explain the plot would undermine one of the greatest aspects of this film. All you need to know is that it is a traditional science fiction film that hearkens back to 80's thrillers and Spielberg films. It is about a father who is on the run from several organizations with their own agendas. They want his son. Eventually you begin to learn why. This boy is different and the pleasure of the mystery is finding out for yourself why he is so special.

The film explores love, but it also provides fascinating insight into the nature of belief and needing answers. Along with love, belief is an idea that many base their existential purpose on. This film dives into these topics and it adds a great deal of intricacy to the plot and some of the messages it conveys. Again, I will not rob you of any surprises, but know that religion/belief plays a good part in the film. Not many films, especially studio films, want to go into subjects like this as to not alienate audiences, but I believe that the way this film approaches them helps it feel more human. That is necessary since there is a larger-than-life supernatural element in the film as well.

The film keeps a consistent and engaging tone throughout, one that is dark with glimmers of lightness. The way the plot moved with such tension and mystery reminded me of old school paranoid thrillers of the 70's and 80's. It is as if you took the tone of something like the 80's remake of The Invasion of the Bodysnatchers (in the sense that you cannot be too sure of your safety anywhere, not necessarily the horrific alien parts of it) with the sentimentality of an early Steven Spielberg science fiction film. (i.e. E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind) This tone is supported with a haunting and beautiful score by David Wingo and striking cinematography by Adam Stone. This is a great looking film and there are moments that will take your breath away.

Outside of the masterful technical aspects of the film, the rest of the story is told through the performances of its incredible cast. You have people like Michael Shannon, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, and Joel Edgerton giving very layered and subtle performances rich in material to ponder. Not to be overlooked is Jaedan Lieberher who plays the son. A surprising element to this young character is pain and Lieberher does an effective job portraying that pain. It is an impressive performance from such a young actor, one that sometimes takes terrifying and shocking turns. To ease this pain, you have Michael Shannon's performance as the father. He is one of our great underrated actors. He is at his best when he uses his tough and hardened exterior to his advantage by showing the tenderness underneath. He has plenty of opportunities to do that here and is up there with Take Shelter as one of his most emotional and effecting performances.

If I were to compare this film to the rest of Jeff Nichols' filmography, I believe that this is not his best. It comes in at a close second to Take Shelter. Take Shelter is a near perfect film in every aspect and it is a complete package. While it is commendable that we are given so little information to work with in Midnight Special, thus engaging us to figure things out for ourselves, I felt that some of our main characters' origins and back stories were not completely clear. I do not think this was intentional. Particularly one character and his relationship to another. It is briefly touched on but it felt muddled. That information is never given later. While I am usually in support of this, I feel like in this particular case it took away from the character and made his motivations unclear. This film is begging to be watched multiple times though, so perhaps I will catch something that I missed before.

Jeff Nichols is one of my absolute favorite up and coming directors. His second film Take Shelter is one of my personal favorite films. I believe it is a masterpiece in directing and visual storytelling. Midnight Special is his first studio film and takes many cues from Take Shelter as far as tone goes, but it is able to accomplish even more technically. This is not a film that relies on action and special effects, but when it arrives it lights up the screen. This film also feels more restrained than his previous films where plot is concerned. It does not take the time to explain things to you. It expects you to pay attention and get swept up in the intrigue of it. Your questions are not meant to all be answered. It wants you to wonder, and it wants you to see it again. You will want to.

Grade: A.