I don’t even know where to begin with this one. Very few films have imprinted themselves onto me like Midnight Special. It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years, but I think about Jeff Nichols’ masterpiece every day. It has profoundly impacted my life and how I approach my relationship with my two boys. “I’ll always worry about you, that’s the deal” is a line of dialogue that penetrated my soul and carried me into a new stratosphere of humanity that I didn’t know existed.
For context, ten years ago when Midnight Special hit theaters for the first time, I was a brand new father. And when I say brand new, my oldest boy (Sam) was just five months old. If you know me at all, you already know that I’m an emotional person, generally. So imagine how vulnerable I was at that time with a baby boy in the house and learning to understand the various depths of fatherhood. Nothing can really prepare you. However, I can tell you that I was very excited to be a dad.
Jeff Nichols was already becoming one of “My Guys” prior to March of 2016. Shotgun Stories was excellent. Take Shelter took the cinematic world by storm as one of the very best movies of 2011 with powerhouse performances by Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain. Mud was also incredible, serving as one of the great mechanisms for the McConaissance. As far as I was concerned, Nichols was batting 1.000 with one big homerun already. When we did our Most Anticipated Movies of 2016, Midnight Special was #2 on my list. To say I was ready for it would be an understatement.
But as the old joke goes – “narrator: he wasn’t ready.”
I was quite intrigued by the film’s initial premise. Alton (Jaeden Martell) has magical powers that are never really explained. The government is after him. Some sort of cult is equally desperate to find him. Where exactly does Alton need to go? And why? The mystery that Nichols creates from a plotting perspective is riveting. This is especially effective when coupled with Nichols’ direction and the atmosphere he creates. It’s just cryptic enough to hook you into the story while inviting you to be an observer and ascribe your own meaning as the film unfolds. While Nichols doesn’t give us all of the answers by the end, there are more than enough clues to cue us into what’s happening with Alton and why Roy (Michael Shannon) is desperate to get him to a specified location. The dramatic urgency at the core of Midnight Special pulsates with gripping tension and an arresting ambiguity. Simply from a surface level filmmaking perspective, there is plenty to appreciate as a mystery, sci-fi thriller.
However; the great sleight of hand with the film is that Alton’s destination is just a red herring. It’s a mechanism that allows Roy to show us his true colors. A pathway for a mother to denote her vulnerability. Because the heart of Midnight Special is all about love and sacrifice. It’s clear that Roy doesn’t fully understand Alton’s abilities, except that they are unique and can have harrowing consequences if you’re not careful. What is cogent, though, is Roy’s love for his boy. At every turn, Roy is 100% committed to Alton, his safety and ensuring that he is brought to the coordinates he’s been designated. “I don’t really believe in anything, except my son. And I’ll do anything for him,” Roy tenderly expresses at one point in the film. Perhaps his adoration for Alton is expected, but the sacrifices he chooses to make ring loudly. They say a lot about him.
And not just because the government is after Alton, leaving Roy in presumably a ton of legal trouble. Especially given an incident with a police officer early on in the film. Or the fact that Roy took Alton from Pastor Calvin Meyer’s (Sam Shepherd) ranch where Alton was being exploited for the cult’s own religious purposes, provoking Meyer to send a couple of thugs after Roy. These actions come with their own consequences and it certainly heightens Roy’s desperation. But that’s not really it, is it?
Maybe we are moved by Roy’s motives and apathy for what may be coming to him when this is all over. Maybe he goes to jail. Maybe the ranch gets to have their way with him. Roy doesn’t care about any of that as long as Alton safely gets to his destination. That dedication is admirable and it’s something we all aim for as parents. But that’s not what makes Midnight Special so profoundly stirring. The real reason it rips my heart out: Roy knows that deep down he may never see Alton again. He’s willing to sacrifice his life and freedom to get Alton to where he needs to be, all while knowing that he has to say goodbye.
In what might be the most moving sequence I’ve ever seen, and trust me, I understand the gravity of the statement, Roy finally gets Alton to the drop off point. The government is on their tail. They don’t have much time. The thugs are on their scent as well. Alton and his mother, Sarah (Kirsten Dunst), get out of the vehicle and begin to walk away. Nichols cuts back to Roy, and you can see his mind racing with panic, love and hope. He couldn’t let the moment escape him, so he calls out to Alton by saying his name. “Alton!” Alton then turns around. The look in his eyes as the camera cuts back to Roy…I’ll never forget it.
Michael Shannon deserved an Oscar for that specific moment alone. The mere thought of it brings me to tears (#JDTears™), let alone seeing the image once again. But of course, that’s not the end of it. The camera then cuts back to Alton, who nods at his father in gratitude and love, seemingly also aware of what this goodbye means. The camera cuts back to Roy one more time, with that same bittersweet look in his eyes, he gives a quite little smile as he looks back at his one last time.
There comes a point for every parent where we have to learn to let go of their children so they can go on to do great things and become who they are meant to be. To grow on their own and live the life they deserve. As we see in the final moments of Midnight Special, Alton had a bigger purpose. He was destined for otherworldly magnificence. The film’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind inspired final sequence makes for an unforgettable conclusion from a dramatic and aesthetic perspective, but it’s also an immaculate summation for the film thematically. The good news is that while we send our kids off to live their lives, we still get to be a part of it in some small way, if we’re lucky. The idea, however, still resonates deeply because once they leave the nest it’s never the same. It’s in those ideas, coupled with Shannon’s fervently moving performance, where I found myself profoundly moved. To say that it obliterated me is not doing it justice.
Another facet I find equally moving revolves around expectation. It’s one thing to say goodbye, it’s another given the fact that this was never what Roy would have envisioned when Alton was born. Like all parents, he would have dreamt about Alton following his footsteps or hoping to have an identity similar to his. But that was never in the cards. And I think that’s subtly quite vital to the film’s thematic underbelly because it suggests that our sacrifices should come without strings. Roy had to forgo any expectations he had for Alton so he could become what he was meant to be. Without that lesson, his goodbye doesn’t carry as much weight. But for Roy it was never about what he wanted, it was always about his son. Even if he didn’t understand what was happening. Roy was going to get him to that location at all costs.
I’ve mostly been talking about Roy here (one of the best movie dads in all of cinema), but we need to shout out Sarah as well. Her role in the film is smaller, but equally powerful in her goodbye at the end of the film. Sarah needed to escape the cult when Alton was little, and while that may cause some complications between her and Roy, it’s understandable given what we learn about the cult. Her scenes reuniting with Alton are just as powerful though, when they do come. She’s equally as desperate and eager as Roy once she enters the picture. And because Roy ends up creating a distraction so Alton can transcend, it’s Sarah who gets to witness him leaving for another world. And like Roy, her eyes tell the story.
The performances by Shannon and Dunst in this film are beyond incredible. The ravishing introspection they convey here is truly extraordinary. They quintessentially demonstrate that oftentimes, the best acting comes from denoting emotion through subtlety. They don’t have to say anything (and they really don’t) to exhibit heartbreak, uncertainty, love, hope and everything in between. In short, they’re both phenomenal.
I would be remiss to not mention the Great Protector that is Lucas, played wonderfully by Joel Edgerton. A friend of Roy’s and someone who joins the mission without any questions. Perhaps uncertain at first, Lucas is a fascinating character as we slowly see him become a believer in Alton, as his trust and curiosity in him grows. Eventually, like Roy, he puts everything on the line despite having no emotional connection to Alton. It’s a compelling metaphor for faith that captivatingly juxtaposes what we see with the Religious Ranch and their disingenuous views.
The same can be said for Paul (Adam Driver), who works for the U.S. government, but instead of hunting Alton for security or exploitative scientific purposes, his interest is pure. His curiosity is that of a child eager to learn about the expansiveness of our galaxy. Something that Driver taps into with opulent precision.
Let’s talk about that final sequence. As I mentioned the ending to Midnight Special is very to Close Encounters of the Third Kind, especially in its visual framing regarding its transcendent, alien-like structures that are birthed out of the ground. It’s beautiful and surreal. The bright, yellow hues emphasize the film’s symbolism of Alton leaving the dark (early on in the film, we learn that Alton could only go out at night due to his condition) and entering his new phase of promise. The thematic nucleus is all about letting go of our children so they can go on to do great things, and grow into the person they were meant to be, and this visual embodiment impeccably complements those notions. Understandably, it may not be for everyone, but as someone finely tuned into the film’s emotion, to see Alton dissolve into this magical realm as not only a mechanism for identity, but for his own safety and well-being, I transformed into a puddle. And I love that it’s never explained. Nichols completely leaves it open to interpretation, a choice that I find calculative and deft.
Jeff Nichols pulls off a magic trick with Midnight Special. There are a lot of moving parts here narratively. The government clearly sees Alton as some sort of weapon they can utlize if they get their hands on him. The Ranch wants to exploit him for their own religious purposes. Paul becomes engulfed in his own curiosities. Roy and Sarah are desperate parents who want to protect their boy at all costs, along with Lucas as the audience surrogate of sorts. Each of these threads serve a purpose that I find captivating. Could Calvin have had more screen time? Was Paul underutilized? Maybe. I can listen to those arguments. But overall I find the balance of all these angles impressively sublime. Nichols fills in those potential missing gaps through attention to detail. There are little quirks, nibbles of dialogue, or visuals that clue us into the motives of these characters. And it allows for Midnight Special to be about the main thing. There may be a lot going on in terms of dramatic pursuit, but underneath it all is a focused examination of parenthood and love.
A special movie that I will soon not forget. Happy Anniversary to an all-time favorite of mine.
