dvd of the week
Jeff Nichols’ low-budget science fiction thriller was met with some ecstatic reviews when it was released a few months ago. They were hyperbolic, because the film isn’t as smart or deep as many claimed it was, but it’s worth watching for the acting and Nichols’ taught direction. Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) is a boy with weird, dangerous powers who has grown up on the compound of a Texan cult. When the cult’s leaders conclude he is a prophet of some sort, the boy’s father Roy (Michael Shannon) runs away with the assistance of his friend Lucas (Joel Egerton). The film is a nonstop, almost breathless series of chases peppered with shoot outs and meteor showers. Shannon is, per usual, extraordinary in his desperation and dedication. Nichols clearly had little money for large special effects, but he gets a great deal of thrills from cheap but smartly placed explosions of light and sound.
