Taken purely as entertainment, Jeff Nichols’ film Midnight Special is a smart, tersely constructed sci-fi adventure in the vein of classics such as E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. That it aspires to those heights alone (and it comes very close) makes it worth seeing. But what makes Midnight Special great is that it’s also a film about belief, or the desire to believe — one that advocates for sacrificial love over fear and control, and is content with asking more questions than it answers.
Human beings are creatures of faith, whether spiritual, political, or otherwise. We like to believe in the idea of something bigger than ourselves. That belief could take the form of love — for another person, a group of people, or all people. It could take on the form of fear — that the “something bigger” is, in fact, out to get us. Belief can also become a desire for power, the idea that possessing the thing you believe in (whether it’s righteousness, social status, or a massive pile of money) makes you better, or somehow secure.
Midnight Special starts with two men, Roy (Michael Shannon) and Lucas (Joel Edgerton), holed up in a hotel room with Roy’s son, Alton (Jaeden Lieberher). Roy and Lucas have kidnapped the boy from a Warren Jeffs-like cult that believes he’s their messiah. Alton seems, at first, like an innocent kid. He is, but he also possesses incredible psychic and telekinetic power that nobody fully understands.
In addition to the cult, a group of government agents are also searching for Alton, believing he’s a dangerous weapon that should be contained. Roy, Lucas, and Alton’s mother Sarah (Kirsten Dunst) are trying to protect Alton and help him discover the reasons behind his strange abilities.
While Nichols shows the different reasons these groups have for trying to find Alton — sanctification, neutralization of a possible threat, love for a kid in need — it’s love that ultimately triumphs. The people willing to sacrifice everything for this little boy are the ones who help him succeed, and though there are consequences for their actions, they don’t appear to mind. Roy, Lucas, and Sarah know that they’re doing the right thing, and that’s what matters.
But Midnight Special is also a film that is content to let its audience sit with mystery, revealing as much exposition as we need. It’s a journey that feels personal for each character involved, and the committed performances from the whole cast (particularly Shannon as Alton’s dedicated, concerned Dad) sell every second of it.
We do eventually discover the source of Alton’s abilities, though not their purpose. Is he a weapon? Is he a savior? Nichols never lets us know for sure. We only know that Alton rejects these labels when asked. We do, however, we do get a brief glimpse of the fantastic otherworld to which he belongs — a world that exists right alongside our own, populated with beings of brilliant light. It might be heaven. It might not. Nichols isn’t going to give his characters, or us, any easy answers. We’re going to have to figure that part out for ourselves.
Watch the trailer for Midnight Special:
Abby Olcese is a freelance film critic and writer based in Missouri. You can find her on Twitter @abbyolcese.
Got something to say about what you're reading? We value your feedback!