FILM
Issue 51 / 2013
www.guestlist.net
Mud
Jeff Nichols' follow-up to the excellent Take Shelter
enjoys a lovingly crafted build-up before unleashing
an explosive finale.
MAY 10th
That the Arkansas community
in which it 's set should be so
close to the Mississippi river is
not the only trait of Mud 's to
be reminiscent of Mark Twain .
Ellis
( Tye
Sheridan)
and
Neckbone (Jacob Lofland)
are
two
adventure -loving
best friends who temporarily
flee their dour lives during a
trip to a nearby island. There
they
discover
enigmatic
fugitive
Mud
(Matthew
McConaughey). He doesn't
give much away, but the fact
that he lives in a boat lodged
in a tree has their interest
piqued. Eventually he does
impar t his torrid histor y with
his beautiful but promiscuous
girlfriend
Juniper
(Reese
Witherspoon), for whom he
committed the crime he's
tr ying so hard to leave behind.
Mud takes his time building
up a picture of the world in
which Ellis and Neckbone
are growing up. The former
lives in a houseboat with his
bickering parents , for whom
the option of moving to the
city is a constant source
of tension . When Ellis is
enlisted to help his father sell
catfishes door to door, it is
a melancholy depiction of a
way of life that is slowly but
surely fading.
This all adds up to create
a textured background for
Mud 's fate to unfold, as
underneath the af fectionate
realisation of rural life lies
a hint of menace. Mud is a
wanted man , af ter all, and it
isn't long before his young
accomplices are forced to
learn some harsh life lessons .
And while McConaughey 's
Mud is a striking creation ,
the film ultimately belongs to
relative newcomers Sheridan
and Lofland, who both bring a
devastating sense of sincerity
to their per formances .
15
7
Coming SooN
The Iceman
June 7th
Michael Shannon stars as
real-life contract killer Richard
Kuklinski, whose arrest in 1986
was a surprise to his oblivious
wife and daughters.
The Last Exorcism
Part II
June 7th
Logic-defeating title aside,
this follow-up to the 2010 hit
boasts a trump card in the
form of Ashley Bell, whose
spine-tingling performance
was the highlight of the first
film.
Man of Steel
June 14th
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it
a critical disaster like Sucker
Punch, Zack Snyder's previous
directorial foray? Stay tuned!