Film Review: Mud

scene from Mud

Billed as a ‘coming of age’ film with a fairly uninspiring title, Mud certainly was not top of the list of flicks I wanted to see this month, writes Afra Morris in Thinking Faith. It is, however, a pleasant surprise that will have you dreaming of sun-dappled days and the adventures of your youth.

Set in Arkansas, it tells the Huckleberry Finn-esque tale of two 14-year-old boys, Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland), as they discover and assist the enigmatic ‘Mud’ (Matthew McConaughey), a fugitive trying to rebuild a boat to float away with his first love, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon). Mud, however, has a chequered past, which the boys gradually uncover, and the group of bounty hunters on his tail add a gentle tension that simmers just below the surface throughout.

One gets the sense that, particularly for a US audience, this film evokes nostalgia for a lifestyle that is fast disappearing. We see the decline of river communities, grubby boys foraging for scrap and building dirt bikes unassisted, and groups of teenagers hanging out at ‘strip-malls’.

Director Jeff Nichols has successfully conjured up the essence of laid back southern living in a deliciously soporific fashion that makes you want to experience it for yourself. The beautiful cinematography by Adam Stone has helped to craft a dusty southern landscape that pulls you in, and when McConaughey turns his face to the sun you can almost feel the same dry-heat on your own skin.

To read on see: www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20130517_2.htm