Review of Midnight Special (2016) by Nelson P — 22 Apr 2016

When I was younger, there was a film directed by James Cameron that involved a civilian diving team going deep into the ocean to locate a nuclear submarine. The premise sounds simple enough but when strange occurrences begin to happen and crew uncovers a mystery unlike any other, the film dives from the strange into the powerful and mystical; science, magic, heart, and pure wonder was the feeling in watching that film, The Abyss. The same feeling rose up once again in watching Midnight Special.

Midnight Special stars Micheal Shannon and Kirsten Dunst as two parents shaking off the spell of a local religious like cult and on a mission to abduct their son (Jaeden Lieberher), given up for adoption to a pastor, who has unique abilities. The child emits a powerful glow from his eyes and can also pick up on radio signals and seemingly control objects with his mind. No one knows why this is happening, how this is happening, or what will happen when they take him to specific coordinates the boy has picked up on, but it all leads to something quite, special, for lack of a better term. Joel Edgerton and Adam Driver also play a sheriff and scientist (respectively) who come for parts of the journey to help the boy and his parents find understanding and meaning behind the boy's abilities.

Jeff Nichols has a knack for directing films surrounding deep ties around family and their core values and it's presence is most definitely felt here. The parents love their child but want nothing more than to help understand what it is that makes him so special. It's this fundamental foundation that drives the film and keeps it grounded from becoming something greater than itself, despite the fact that their is really something unique about this family and particularly, the child. The themes that surround the film are also interesting, covering everything from bigotry, to acceptance, to hope and wonder taking the viewer along for the ride, even if the destination isn't what they would have ever imagined. The beauty of the film lies in it's dark and quiet moments and the scenes keep you guessing as to what will happen next as you're never sure what the child is truly capable of. Nichols also does a fine job of crafting a fine balance between reality and fiction, never diving too far off the deep end and losing the audience midway or towards the end. The actors also do a fantastic job of portraying their fear and juxtaposing gravitation towards the child; Shannon as the father in particular is compelling to watch, really nailing the chemistry between himself and Lieberher. Although the film is predominantly quiet in most parts, it speaks loudest when the core aspects of family are aligned, not during it's beautifully rendered CGI sequences (and those are a marvel to see).

All in all, Midnight Special is something that may remind us all of the battle between trying to understand what everything means and simply accepting what the reality of everything actually. It also draws inspiration from the imaginative science fiction of earlier decades without overpowering the sense and aiming for not just the mind, but the heart.