‘Mud’
In Jeff Nichols’ exceptional third feature, Matthew McConaughey gives a skilled performance as Mud, an escaped convict who befriends two teenage boys, Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) to get their help in his quest to reunite with his true love, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon). Nichols manages to combine the “typical” coming-of-age story with elements of folklore and an over-arching sense of peril, which renders Mud as an anti-hero that people could write songs about.