While exploring a Mississippi River island, Arkansas boys Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) encounter Mud (Matthew McConaughey),a fugitive who needs their help. Though Mud killed a man in Texas and has bounty hunters on his trail, he is most concerned about reuniting with Juniper (Reese Witherspoon), the love of his life. Ellis, who is suffering the pangs of his first crush, agrees to help Mud. He and Neckbone do all they can to protect Mud and help him reunite with Juniper.

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Local legends like sound designer Dwight Chalmers ended up uncredited in the hustle and bustle, but this is an Arkansas film all the way through and through. Director Jeff Nichols grew up in Little Rock and attended Central High School.

Shot mostly in the Delta region of Arkansas, the film is about, to quote the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, “two fourteen-year-old boys named Ellis and Neckbone who discover a man called Mud (Matthew McConaughey) living on a deserted island in the Mississippi river near their hometown of DeWitt.”

The film is mostly now known for McConaughey’s stellar portrayal, but we must also mention   the cast including, Reese Witherspoon, the late great Sam Shepard, B-movie king Joe Don Baker (Walking Tall), Paul Sparks, and Michael  Shannon (General Zod in the Superman movies, of course), and he is part of Nichols’ “repertory company”, to reference John Ford.

An Arkansas must! Another film rarely seen on the big screen anymore, this comes to us courtesy of Mr. Nichols himself, who has persuaded our friends at Roadside Attractions to “de-archive” the film especially for the Arkansas Cinema Society.

“There are fierce powers at work in the world, boys. Good, evil, poor luck, best luck. As men, we've got to take advantage where we can.”