Can love really be depended on? This is one of
the main questions Mud’s lead character Ellis (Tye Sheridan) tries to figure
out in this Huck Finn-meets-Stand
By Me, coming-of-age film. The story begins with two young boys living
in Arkansas along the Mississippi River and their chance encounter with
fugitive Mud (Matthew McConaughey) on a remote island in the middle of the big
river. Right away, Ellis and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) are curious about this
strange man with crosses on the heels of his boots. They agree to help him if,
when he leaves, he gives them the boat in a tree he’s been living in.
Ellis’ friendship with Mud is propelled in some
sense because of the tension he is facing at home with his parents impending
separation. He doesn’t understand why his mother (Sarah Paulson) and his father
(Ray McKinnon) can’t just work things out. They’re married, so they must love
each other, he argues. Mud’s tale of his love Juniper (Reese Witherspoon)
immediately grips Ellis and he decides to help Mud and Juniper run away
together because he believes in their true love. Mud is on the run because of
Juniper – he killed the man that Juniper had been with because he hurt her –
and this romantic story is just the thing Ellis needs to depend on because he
can’t rely on the certainty of his parents’ love for each other.
While Ellis watches the relationships between
his parents and between Mud and Juniper from the sidelines, he soon begins to
fall in love with a girl from his town named May Pearl (Bonnie Sturdivant). She
thinks Ellis is cute after he defends her from another guy by punching him in
the face and she agrees to be his girlfriend while giving him a small peck on
the lips. Even though their interactions are short and simple, Ellis believes
this newfound “love” is true and worth fighting for, just like Mud and
Juniper’s love is.
As Ellis starts to learn more about Mud
and Juniper’s past and realizes their relationship isn’t something out of a
fairytale, he begins to question everything he thought he knew about love. His
relationship with May Pearl begins to resemble Mud and Juniper’s relationship –
always defending the girl, beating up guys that hurt her, and getting left
behind when the girl moves on. Mud, Ellis begins to see, has spent his whole
life chasing Juniper and for what? Does Juniper even really love him like he
loves her?
The story of Mud is neither unrealistically optimistic, nor
painfully pessimistic. As Ellis tries to figure out what love is, he is forced
to grow and learn certain difficult truths about life. But the story isn’t
bleak or unhopeful. Ellis’ journey is honest and authentic, which resonates
with audiences and allows them to connect with the characters.
Much of the story takes place
along the Mississippi River and the scenery is beautiful. The small island
where Mud hides out is lush and overgrown, like it’s in a world of its own.
Much of the beauty of nature is contrasted with the plainness of the small
Arkansas town. Mud’s island is an escape from the real world for Ellis, both
physically and mentally.
The casting for the film is well done.
Matthew McConaughey captures the tenderness and toughness of the lovesick Mud;
he’s dirty and sweaty for most of the film, but holds onto a compassionate and
gentle aspect of his character that contrasts his outer appearance. Ellis and
Neckbone are played by two young relatively unknown actors, but they feel
authentically Southern and fit perfectly into roles that seem written just for
them.
Though this is only Jeff Nichol’s
third film that he’s written and directed, he’s already making a place for
himself among some of the current film industry’s most beloved directors. He
manages to write characters that the audience can sympathize with and relate
to, but these characters are also complex and frustrating at times. Mud himself
is neither a good guy nor a bad guy. He’s a little of both and so much more.
He’s a complex man with much baggage, including a childhood without parental
guidance. Jeff captures Mud’s fierce independence coupled with his desperate
attachment to Juniper, the love of his life. There’s no clear-cut answer to Mud
or Juniper’s problems, but that’s authentic to real life and something very
relatable.
Directed by Jeff Nichols
Written by Jeff Nichols
Produced by Glen Basner, Michael Flynn, Tom Heller, Gareth
Smith
WITH Reese Witherspoon, Matthew McConaughey, Michael
Shannon, Sarah Paulson, Sam Shepard, Tye Sheridan
Running time – 135 mins
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