Midnight Special

[projekktor id=’23583′]

Midnight Special is a sci-fi mystery written and directed by Jeff Nichols (Mud, Take Shelter). The film premiered earlier this year at the Berlin International Film Festival and stars Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, and Sam Shepard.

A provocative, genre-defying film as supernatural as it is intimately human, it follows a father, Roy (Michael Shannon), who goes on the run to protect his young son, Alton (Jaeden Lieberher), a boy with mysterious powers that even Roy himself cannot comprehend. 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. Risking everything, Roy is committed to helping Alton reach his ultimate purpose, whatever that might be and whatever it costs, in a story that takes audiences on a perilous journey from Texas to the Florida coast, while exploring the bonds of love and trust, and the nature of faith.

“I often compare this film to the reverse of one of those Russian nesting dolls,” explains Nichols, “which start out large and open up multiple times to produce smaller and smaller versions until you get down to the core. This starts with a kind of indie feel, where you’re on the road with these guys, and then it gets progressively bigger and bigger until it falls off the edges of the frame.”

Midnight Special is rated PG.