Well, that's clever: Naming your film and protagonist with a simple word that perfectly represents the state of the character and the emotional world he is struggling in. Coupled with a story set in a swampy (see: muddy) river town within rural Arkansas, and the writer just may deserve a slow clap.
Mud (the film), follows the youthful curiosity of two 14yr. olds, Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and pal Neckbone (Jacob Lofland), as they explore inlets and islands along the river running through their town. On an isolated atoll, the boys make a strange discovery when they find a medium sized boat ensnared high overhead in the clutches of a tree. Despite scattered footprints and evidence of a recent human occupant inside the vessel, the teens have clear hopes to capitalize on their new found tree house. But upon returning to their own skiff parked on the shore, the boys encounter the owner of said footprints obstructing their path.
Meet Mud (the character). Matthew McConaughey is Mud. And Mud is in a whole heap of it. Decorated with tattered clothes, forbidding tattoos, and an eye catching chipped front tooth, Mud is an intimidating but curious presence. To the most amateur of detectives he has obviously been on the lam for some time. The boys speak with the gruff loner and come to an unfortunate realization that both parties are more than desirous of the marooned boat. Ellis and Neckbone reluctantly make a pact with Mud and agree to bring him food supplies while he awaits his "friend," but only if they take ownership of the tree house upon his reunion and subsequent departure.
Over the next several days, the boys and Ellis in particular, grow very intrigued with the outsider. With only chores and divorcing parents to keep him occupied, Ellis focuses most of his energy on assisting Mud. He reveals more of his checkered past as the friendship grows between the two. The boys' initial trepidation appears justified when Mud admits to being a fugitive from both the police and a group of lawless bounty hunters who are quickly closing in on him. Mud's girlfriend Juniper (Reese Witherspoon) appears in town and only adds to the confusion of circumstances as she could be both the cause and/or potential solution to Mud's immediate and long term problems. As the final third of the film plays out, promises are broken, betrayals occur about as often as the characters speak to each other, and the world closes in on Mud, which allows for his true nature to be ultimately revealed.
Make no mistake, young filmmaker Jeff Nichols delivers a very solid film. It's especially surprising that this is only his second full length feature. Like a seasoned veteran director, he is comfortable letting both scenes and story simmer to a boil without trying to sprint to the highest level on the intensity meter. Nichols has a deft understanding of genre and exudes confident patience in this neo-noir thriller. Never giving the audience more information than necessary, the result is a film saturated with suspense and the viewer is left suspicious of almost every character appearing on screen.
Nichols' best directorial skill though may be eliciting superb performances from his actors. McConaughey deserves a lot of credit for stepping out of his romantic comedy comfort zone and taking on a darker leading role. He is surprisingly magnetic as the mysterious wanderer, and delivers a carefully calculated and restrained performance. His southern drawl fits the backwoods character perfectly, but it's his ability to project a bottled up thunderstorm of emotion that is truly impressive. McConaughey reminds viewers that given the right circumstances (script, director, etc.) he is capable of much more than the usual fluff he participates in. I'd be interested to see if he decides to choose more films and characters of this ilk, because Mud is evidence of a larger potential he may yet be able to fulfill.
Despite the deserved accolades McConaughey has been receiving for his role in the film, the real success and focus of the film is Sheridan's portrayal of Ellis. Mud also thrives as a coming of age story with the young 14 year old driving the film in a state of accelerated maturity amidst the turmoil of his life. It's rare to see a child actor so ably assume the majority of screen time, while still performing with such a wide emotional spectrum. Dealing with difficult but common life circumstances such as impending parental divorce and first love/heartbreak, Ellis shines as a character worthy of the audience's empathy. Sheridan displays feelings of trust, shame, disappointment, and youthful fury as the viewer might picture their own childhood reactions to similar situations.
Ellis is also far and away the most redeemable character in Mud. Despite his teenage status within an adult world, he is the one with the highest moral and ethical standards. Upon seeing women being physically assaulted by male characters on multiple occasions, Ellis rushes to their aid in chivalrous fashion with little regard for his own well being. It is also clear that the definitive reason Ellis agrees to help Mud on his quest, is due to his belief that Mud's motives are ruled simply by his love for Juniper. This is a significant parallel to Ellis' own life journey. With family life fracturing around him and a lack of social acceptance from his peers, Ellis is a relentless romantic searching for his own love in heart wrenching fashion.
Even with all of the film's triumphs though, Mud still falls short of becoming an instant classic.
After the exquisite slow-like-fire building of the characters and story, the decisive third act fails to deliver an equally rewarding payoff. The closing action scenes do not have enough time devoted to them, and because they end so abruptly the finale feels anti-climactic. Similarly, the reason McConaughey's performance isn't award deserving correlates with a lack of dramatic culmination. Mud remains tempered and calm throughout despite the wonderful set up leading the audience to believe he may be a true anti-hero. His charisma on screen has a great deal to do with the secrets he's hiding but the audience only learns about what Mud is capable of through backstory and suggestion.
Sadly though, all the work McConaughey put into building this potential explosive character goes for naught. The audience never witnesses the fiery cathartic outburst, the regretful snap judgment, or the dramatic purging of his inner demons. It's unfortunate that both Mud and Mud didn't have appropriate counter weights of intensity to balance the foundation of mystery and suspense, because Nichols narrowly missed making a truly great film.
