Mud

A sensitive indie relationship drama, emotionally polished to the smallest detail. Nichols confirms that he knows how to tell these subtle, understated stories and that Take Shelter was no accident. The marketing gravitates to McConaughey, but the lead is a fantastic performance by Tye Sheridan. A story about right values, fateful decisions and growing up – Mud offers all this in an interesting filmmaking mix without unnecessary shaky effects or eye-candy shots. (16/07/2021)

Each and every one of Matthew’s roles is unique. But there are certain moments that are constantly repeated. For example, swamps. Swamps just must be where Matt was born, because I can’t explain it any other way. Every movie has a swamp. Also, that Texan slang. I don’t know how that happened, but their speech denies all of the English grammar rules they taught me at school. However, despite all this, I enjoyed this movie for the entire 131 minutes. And I really wouldn’t expect it at all considering how simple it was. But what I liked most was how the creators combined the world of adults and the world of children. Those kids gave it such an interesting atmosphere that it assured me that I wasn’t watching a bad movie. As far as the ending goes, it repeats the third rule of Matt’s movies; once he’s acting, he has to be surrounded by a bunch of backwards hillbillies that would think that the word “Czechia” is an Arabian slur. The ending was completely over the top. Some headhunters are after Matt and so they kill everyone in some house, including two kids. Either I’m weird or America has crossed the threshold of humanity a long time ago. (13/04/2014)

After "Take Shelter," another film by Jeff Nichols, and once again it is evident that it is made by a person who wants to create something meaningful. The progression of events and tension here is absolutely captivating. The pace is slow, but something is always happening, gradually revealing the cards of this boyish adventure. The scene where young Ellis rescues Juniper from a man beating her is incredibly powerful. It literally takes your breath away. What if something happens to this boy?! The contrast in the pace of individual scenes is a great example of how storytelling can be mastered. Furthermore, I have once again confirmed that the southern accent is amazing, and Matthew McConaughey has it perfectly, but the country music is equally amazing - it complements each scene excellently and is wonderfully used for transitions. (06/01/2014)

Water is wet, the sky is blue, women have secrets, men are under pressure and the concept of good is relative. Who would be upset with that? Certainly not nature. The impressiveness of Nichols’s retelling of the adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer paradoxically lies in how little Mud differs from those classic works. At its (easily accessible) core, it is a simple, guilelessly straightforward story with characters who have a lot of time to talk. However, modern cinema teaches us to see such old-fashioned user-friendliness as some sort of betrayal. But this film is magical because it doesn’t try to betray us. Imagine a story from the ranks of those that fathers will tell to their sons as the greatest boy’s adventure of their childhood. The child’s perspective is not maintained too consistently, some of the young protagonists’ dialogue couldn’t be heard, and it isn’t confronted with an adult perspective as in Stand by Me. It all the more wants us to return to childhood in our thinking, to the time of becoming intensely aware of the opposite sex, the world of adults, the laws of nature…. Only then can we see the mythological quality of such an outwardly simple narrative, adapted to today particularly by removing the didactic subtext and relativisation of positive role models. Ellis and Neckbone go on the same journey as so many boys before them, except their bond with nature is stronger thanks to the setting. They aren’t apathetic like urban youths; they sensitively perceive what is going on around them, just as the camera takes in a running spider here, birds in flight there. The fact that it is sometimes wise to focus attention on the details becomes apparent in during the episode with snakes. Ellis and Neckbone only seemingly didn’t experience anything major. In fact, the encounter with the impenetrable guy who spouts Indian wisdom turns their view of the world upside down. Nichols doles out hints of the fundamental change that will happen in their lives by very carefully raising the stakes. Perhaps too carefully and subtly. If the narrative were not rhythmised with musical interludes, it wouldn’t be a hypnotically slow spectacle, but just tiresome. Nichols doesn’t make this film a coming-of-age story or employ a different clearly defined theme at all costs. He leaves it open to multiple possible interpretations, which prevents Mud from slipping into banality. We can take the dialogue both literally and allegorically (a lot of trash washes up from the river, the boat was launched). The atypical names of the characters (Juniper, King, May Pearl) also have mythological resonance. Of no less importance, the dual meaning corresponds to the parallel development of the children’s and adults’ versions of the same story. Perhaps childishly simple, but told in an adult way. 75% (24/04/2014)

An intelligent and incredibly mature film about people who think more about others than themselves. That the current redneck gang hates it, it’s just another proof of it. An excellent movie, and another superb work after Take Shelter. Standing ovation for Jeff Nichols, Matthew McConaughey and, in particular, the excellent child actors. (06/08/2013)