Shotgun Stories | Dir. Jeff Nichols | USA
First off a quick apology for the slightly delayed film of the week this week, but here it be none the less.
Sold on the UK poster as “a high-calibre thriller with more kickback than a 12-gauge” this is without doubt the right way to set an expectant audience off on the wrong foot. This is in fact a quiet and subtle film, that although at its core deals with revenge & violence (and yes- shotguns too), chooses to shy away from moments of violence and high drama and instead focus on the time and contemplation of its characters between these.
From the opening of the film there is a heavy presence of imminent tragedy. Three brothers (Son, Kid and Boy) live out their frustrated and idyll lives in the beautiful yet desolate surroundings of rural middle America. As the three seemingly sleepwalk through dilemmas in their lives, subtle tensions begin to brew, and the death of their estranged and neglectful father is the catalyst which kicks these into the fore.
The tedium and gloom of the film’s setting is interspersed on occasion with beautiful shots of the rural landscape - as also we are taken a back by short, endearing and often comical moments of interaction between the brothers. Within these there’s hope that although this feels like a predictable and tragic tale we’ve sat through many a time, that the compassion and intelligence in the brothers may allow them to rise above the needless cycle of violence and revenge.
A festival favourite from the past year with good cause, Shotgun Stories seems to be receiving a slightly unjust limited release in London. My only real gripe with the film is that I wish the score of the film could have been a tad more varied…
London Opening Venues:
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