Respond to these rapid questions in our Midnight Special quiz and we will tell you which Midnight Special character you are. Play it now.
To what extent would you go to ensure the safety of your child? What if the only way to save him was to let him go? With echoes of John Carpenter, Steven Spielberg, and Stephen King bouncing all over the place, “Midnight Special,” the brilliant film directed by Jeff Nichols, is a sci-fi road movie that weaves relatable themes of parental responsibility and faith in that which is traditionally unexplainable into the fabric of the narrative. The majority of contemporary blockbusters make the mistake of relying too heavily on hand-holding, elaborating their narratives and the reasons behind their characters’ actions through constant expository dialogue or overly defined narration. There is this strange fear in Hollywood that audiences will revolt if they don’t fully understand what’s going on at every given moment. As a result, characters talk to themselves, motivations are spelled out in voiceover, and everyone talks about what they have to do and why they have to do it, especially in action movies. “Midnight Special” treats your intelligence with respect by allowing you to experience its themes on an emotional rather than a narrative level. It is a confidently rendered display of visual storytelling by someone who understands the power of cinema and it is a breathtaking display of visual storytelling.
Nichols, who was also responsible for writing the film, wastes no time getting us into the action of the piece. Roy (Michael Shannon, who has appeared in every Nichols film) and Lucas (Joel Edgerton) are sitting in a motel room watching a news report about a manhunt involving a kidnapped boy. The report is being broadcast on a television. The young boy is using a flashlight to read comic books while he is positioned in the middle of the room’s two beds. His name is Alton, and he was played by Jaeden Lieberher. He is unique. Because of his exceptional qualities, a whole new religious movement has developed around him, and its leader is Calvin Meyer (Sam Shepard). Calvin’s compound is being searched at the same time that Roy and Lucas are speeding away from the area with Alton riding shotgun in the backseat while wearing night vision goggles so that they can turn off their headlights and become more difficult to spot. It seems that everyone is currently searching for Alton.
Paul Sevier, played by Adam Driver, is the expert that the FBI sends to meet with Calvin’s flock in order to learn what they know about the boy and precisely what this golden child means to them. The FBI is trying to figure out what they know about the boy. It has come to our attention that members of the cult of Alton worship the numerical sequences that have been revealed to them by the potential prophet. It has also come to light that the government attaches significance to these numerical sequences, and the government is interested in learning how a child was able to know them. At long last, the clues provided by the numbers seem to point Alton, Roy, and Lucas in the direction of a specific location. Although Lucas is one of the recently converted, Roy’s devotion is purely parental in nature. This is because Alton possesses a unique power that allows him to communicate something transcendent through beams that shoot out of his eye. Both of these guys are going to stop at nothing to make sure that Alton arrives on time.
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In an early scene, the three main characters run into a state trooper, and it becomes immediately apparent how driven Roy, Alton’s father, is. When Roy and Lucas draw on him, it appears as though he is about to report them to the police because he has seen their license plate. Is their mission crucial enough for them to take the life of a police officer? The love a father has for his child is what drives Roy to do what he believes to be necessary for his son, but can Lucas be said to have the same level of dedication to his goals? And how will Kirsten Dunst’s character, who plays Alton’s mother, react to this news? “Midnight Special” is a work of art because it expertly answers questions and then immediately follows up with new questions, remaining one step ahead of the viewer at all times. We are willing to go wherever the journey takes us because we have faith that we are in the capable hands of Nichols, who is directing the show. This is a testament to the direction that Nichols has provided.
Midnight Special Quiz
And while I won’t give anything away, the destination of that journey is one that takes one by surprise in terms of the emotional impact it has. One could easily interpret “special” Alton as an allegory for a sick child, a child who is different from the others and requires a different kind of care and attention; a child who is special in a way that only parents who have experienced that kind of suffering and loss could understand. There is also a story of faith that cannot be denied that is buried in “Midnight Special.” This story is about having faith in something that cannot be seen, something that is greater than ourselves. Even though he’s matched by great work from Dunst, Edgerton, and the rest of the cast, Michael Shannon’s performance stands out as particularly driven and subtle, and it’s largely due to the fact that the cast assembled by Nichols is responsible for a large portion of the film’s emotional undercurrent.
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In addition, “Midnight Special” benefits greatly from the contributions of cinematographer Adam Stone, who has collaborated with director Jeff Nichols on all of his films, and composer David Wingo. In the same way that he did in “Take Shelter” and “Mud,” Stone creates a masterpiece out of a scene that centers on a sunrise by giving the impression that the natural world is almost another character in the story. The compositions of Nichols and Stone are finished off by Wingo’s score, which frequently transports us to the film’s feelings despite the film’s audacious decision to go without dialogue for large portions of the action.
The power of visual storytelling is ultimately what I take away from “Midnight Special,” as the film’s title suggests. The scenes from the movie that stick out in my mind the most include flames falling from the sky, a father carrying his child, the grass shaking as something is about to happen, and the mind-blowing conclusion. Nichols is that rare breed of filmmaker who understands that this is what we take away from the best films, and the powerful way that art reflects that which transcends words, such as a father’s dedication, the pain of a sick child, or belief in something greater than ourselves. It’s true that we recite our favorite lines and act out impressions of the characters, but the images are what truly haunt us, stick with us, and remain in our minds long after we’ve forgotten them. Sometimes forever.
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