Shotgun Stories

Summary

“Don’t take the tent down.”

In the city where I live, Little Rock, Arkansas, filmmaker Jeff Nichols is basically a hometown hero. Jeff didn’t simply get his start making films in Arkansas, he gave back to the film community through his support of the Arkansas Cinema Society which he helped form. I have been involved in a small way with the ACS since it was founded, so I have been lucky enough to meet Jeff and his brother Ben Nichols – the frontman for the excellent band Lucero – on a couple of occasions. I have followed Jeff’s career over the years and been consistently pleased with his filmmaking choices. I had not seen his first picture, 2007’s Shotgun Stories, because it was not available on Blu-ray until very recently. Sony Pictures Classics has brought the film to the format, and I checked it out this weekend.

In rural Arkansas, Son Hayes (Michael Shannon) wakes up alone in his home. Son tells his brother Kid (Barlow Jacobs,) who is sleeping in a tent outside his house, that Annie had left him. It was because Son lost $200 at Tunica the prior weekend. Son has a card counting system he is trying to perfect, because his current financial situation at work doesn’t meet his expectations of himself. His other brother Boy Hayes (Douglas Ligon) is living in a van. He fried the cigarette lighter trying to rig it up to plug in a window cooling unit. Now his tape player keeps coming on at strange times. Son invites him to come stay in the front room if he wants. Son has scars on his back from a shotgun blast that causes the town to spread rumors. One night, Son’s mom comes by and tells him that his father’s dead. He asks about the funeral and she tells him to read about it in the papers because she won’t be there. Son and his brothers go to the funeral, which is attended by their half brothers Mark (Travis Smith,) Cleaman (Michael Abbott Jr.,) and the even younger brothers Stephen and John. Son says he wants to say some words, which is ill advised, but the mother allows it. Son explains that the man in the casket may have become Christian and started another family, and lived another life, but he was not a good man. He ran out on the three brothers and left them to be raised by a hateful woman, without any more contact between them. Son believes his father is paying for it now. He spits on the casket. Mark almost lays hand on him but the mother stops him. Mark Hayes wants to fight back for the disrespect shown at his father’s funeral. When word gets back to Kid from a local drifter named Shampoo that Mark wants to kick some ass, he replies that Mark should come find him. These words and actions cause a spiral of violence between the two factions of half-brothers.

Shotgun Stories is a strong debut. The plot is engaging, and the Arkansas locales have an authenticity to them that lends a lot to the picture. Like most debut films, the picture is not as polished as later works, but the tension between the warring factions is palpable and well written. Michael Shannon is great in the movie, but that comes as no surprise given his strong working relationship with Jeff and his natural talent as an actor. There are some solid turns by the other actors, but as is usually the case with debut films, one or two actors feel slightly less convincing than the others. The music for the film was done by Ben Nichols, and it is a good fit for the images of the Natural State on the screen. The cinematography by Adam Stone showed a lot of promise and he has worked on every Jeff Nichols project since. The imagery is evocative of the South it portrays, and I liked the way the picture looked. Fans of David Gordon Green’s early films or Terrence Malick’s Badlands will find themselves right at home with the cinematography of the picture. The script by Jeff Nichols does a good job of creating somewhat surreal characters that are all facing dead ends in their current climate. The only complaint that I have seen leveled at the film regards the film’s conclusion which some felt was a bit undercooked. I can understand those having an issue with it, but I actually thought the resolution of the film had some merit. It will definitely be a discussion point amongst those who watch the film. Overall, Shotgun Stories is a really strong debut from a filmmaker who has gone on to create some even stronger works since.

Video

Sony Pictures has presented Shotgun Stories in 1080p using an MPEG-4 AVC encode in 2.39:1 aspect ratio. Sony has given the film a solid master from what looks to be a 4K scan (I have not been able to confirm this, but it looked like a recent scan of the 35MM print,) and the results are very good. Cinematographer Adam Stone is a talented cinematographer and his work on the picture showed a lot of promise. As I mentioned, the film’s cinematography reminded me a little of Malick’s Badlands or David Gordon Green’s George Washington. I enjoyed seeing the very familiar sights of the Natural State, both beautiful and broken, that were portrayed in a film. The transfer by Sony is very well done, but that should come as no surprise given their excellent quality control.

Audio

Sony has presented Shotgun Stories with a solid DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track. The track presents the original sound design well. Much of the film is dialogue based, but the persistent sounds of insects plays into the speakers alongside Ben Nichol’s guitar based score. Like the video transfer, Sony could not have done much more to improve the audio.

Supplements:

• Audio Commentary with Jeff Nichols
• Interview with Jeff Nichols
• Photo Book
• Theatrical Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.75/5 

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 3/5

Overall – 4.25/5

Shotgun Stories is a well crafted debut film by Arkansas native Jeff Nichols. This picture cemented the working relationship between Jeff Nichols with actor Michael Shannon and cinematographer Adam Stone. The film shows a lot of promise, and, like most debut films, it has a few rougher edges than Jeff’s later works. I had a good time checking the film out this weekend and I can understand why Jeff was able to gain footing and craft a career making films since its release. Sony has brought the film to Blu-ray with a great looking transfer and some solid supplements. This one had been a long time coming, and I am glad to own it on the Blu-ray format.

The film can be purchased at www.moviezyng.com.