'Midnight Special' Director Talks Sci-Fi Film's Christian Appeal (Interview)
In a cinematic world where faith-based films are getting the same amount of buzz as action packed blockbusters, Jeff Nichols believes his new sci-fi thriller "Midnight Special" will appeal to both audiences.
"Midnight Special" uses mystery to pull viewers into a tale that follows an 8-year-old boy named Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) who has special powers. Throughout the film, audiences are taken on a journey where Nichols, who wrote and directed the film, invites people to draw their own conclusions about a religious cult and government officials who have their own agendas in wanting to use Alton's powers.
Nichols, the 37-year-old screenwriter, director and producer known for movies such as "Mud" and "Take Shelter," purposely crafted his latest film with the opportunity for questions to be raised without providing concrete answers. This formula, however, opens the door for a conversation that Nichols believes both Christian and secular audiences can enjoy.
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"In writing this type of narrative that purposefully tries to leave mystery and raise more questions than the answers that are given, I'm always fascinated to see how people interpret these things," he told The Christian Post.
"I feel like audience members walk into the theater with their own worldviews, with their own belief systems intact. I try to make films to allow enough room narratively so that people can think about them on their own terms, not just on mine."
While scenes in the film that feature a fictional religious group known as The Ranch might lead some people to draw comparisons to Christianity, Nichols does not make that comparison himself.
"It's very important to me that people aren't just preached at but they're actually engaged and can maybe hold their own ideas up to the film and see how they fit," he explained.
Nichols also told CP that his Methodist upbringing has impacted his view on parenting, a theme which is prevalent in the film. While his favorite movies from childhood were "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Starman," Nichols' 5-year-old son is the inspiration behind his latest film.
"In my own life, I was in my first year of fatherhood and there was an experience where my son actually had a seizure which turned out not to be a long lasting problem. But my wife and I had to live through and come to terms with the reality that our son is very precious to us and could be taken away through different circumstances and we'd have no control over that," Nichols told CP.
"I think dealing with the fear that comes from that lack of control and the experience of trying to raise him definitely fed into the characters. It was a weird cocktail of emotions and the movie is a result of that."
In "Midnight Special" Alton's father Roy (Michael Shannon) and mother Sarah (Kirsten Dunst) are willing to fight against all odds to protect their child against those who are trying to abuse his powers.
"Being a parent is an odd mix of fear and love," he revealed. "As [Roy and Sarah] are trying to figure out what their son needs, I feel very much the exact same way with my son despite the fact that he doesn't have superpowers."
For Nichols, it is this theme of sacrificial love between parents and their child that has the ability to touch viewers' emotions.
"If you want to have an experience in a theater where you feel something, where there's an emotion — in this particular case the emotion is connected to the struggle and the journey and the joy that is parenthood — go check this film out. If you're willing to pay attention and if you want to have an emotional experience in a film, I think this is one worth giving a try."
For more information about "Midnight Special," visit http://www.midnightspecialmovie.com/.
