The Jeff Nichols File

Over the weekend, I went to the theater to see Mud. Normally, I would’ve been perfectly content to wait for DVD. But I found out that it had been directed by Jeff Nichols, the same director who had made 2011’s Take Shelter. Purely on that basis alone, I wanted to see Mud. Afterwards, I was so impressed with it and with Take Shelter that I knew I had to make it a point to track down his other film- Shotgun Stories (2007). And in less than 24 hours, I had become a huge Jeff Nichols fan. The feeling is reminiscent of, say, the first time you see Hard Eight or Boogie Nights; Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums; or Shaun of the Dead and Spaced. This is a young director who is going places, and his work makes audiences stand up and take notice. But who is he and what is he all about?