Mud

Mud is a 2012 American coming-of-age drama film starring Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan and Reese Witherspoon. The film competed for the Palme d'Or at Cannes. 14 year-old Ellis (Tye Sheridan) lives on a makeshift houseboat on the banks of a river in Arkansas with his parents, Mary Lee (Sarah Paulson) and Senior (Ray McKinnon). He sneaks out early one morning to meet his best friend, Neckbone (Jacob Lofland). Neckbone, also 14, lives with his uncle, Galen (Michael Shannon), who makes a hardscrabble living diving for oysters. The two boys set out to an island on the Mississippi River, where Neckbone has discovered an unusual sight-a boat, suspended high in the trees, a remnant of an extreme flood some time in the past. They climb the tree and into the boat only to find fresh bread and fresh footprints. Realizing that they are not the only ones who have discovered the treehouse boat, they decide to leave. When they reach the shore, they find the same footprint in their boat. And that's when they meet Mud (Matthew McConaughey)… Awards Cannes Film Festival 2012 – Nominated for Palme d'Or Mud Reviews “One of the most creatively rich and emotionally rewarding movies to come along this year.” LA Times “..an art-house movie that will pull mainstream audiences along as inexorably as the Mississippi River. Go see it.” New York Post “..poses as a mere adolescent adventure tale but explores a rich vein of grown-up concerns, exploring codes of honor, love and family too solid to be shaken by modernizing forces.” Variety “Glorious vision of youth and truth, love and loss, your name is Mud.” Time “A provocative mood piece. Nichols, who had an art-house hit in 2011 with “Take Shelter,” has a gift for creating characters of unusual depth, and for eliciting performances of emotional resonance. With Mud, he seems to be edging closer to the mainstream, but his skills are as sharp as ever.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch “..a movie of striking performances and memorable images and of people who seem to belong in rather than being imposed upon their environment.” Observer, UK “Endearing and believable, the two actors playing Ellis and Neckbone are pitch-perfect.” USA Today “There's something old-fashioned about Mud, but if you allow yourself to settle into its leisurely pace, it will reward you. If he were alive today, Mark Twain would approve.” Entertainment We­ekly “It's a lovely, coherent piece of storytelling, with a unique sense of place. Nichols has carved out a niche as a distinctive film-maker.” Daily Telegraph “In the hands of Nichols, Mud emerges as a thing of bruised beauty. There's magic in it.” Rolling Stone “By setting the action within a quasi-mythic framework Nichols is able to draw us into his big adventure and help us to rediscover the whispers of youth.” Eye for Film “Jeff Nichols's third feature traffics unerringly in truth, delicious surprise, unadorned beauty and unforced wisdom.” Wall Street Journal