‘Midnight Special’ Trailer: Michael Shannon Tries To Protect Son

In Midnight Special, Michael Shannon stars as a father trying to protect his 8-year-old son, Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) and figure out the boy’s mysterious powers. These powers include breaking things and shutting down cars when Alton has fits. The sci-fi family saga drew some positive attention after the film’s screening last Friday at Berlinale Palast.

“You don’t have to worry about me,” says the boy.

But the father responds, “I’ll always worry about you, Alton. I like worrying about you. That’s the deal.”

To this Alton says, “It’s okay. I know why I’m here.”

The trailer itself doesn’t offer a lot about the plot of the story, instead evoking feelings of awe and ambiguity.

Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver and Sam Shepard co-star in writer/director Jeff Nichols‘ film. Nichols is known for his “Middle American surrealism” which was seen in his last movie, 2012’s Mud which famously starred Matthew McConaughey.

Nichols explained the origin of the idea behind the film saying that, “I want to make a 1960s biker film. I want to make a big, PG summer blockbuster family film, kind of like I want to revamp Tremors. I’ve got an idea for that. That kind of movie.”

Viewers will be able to see how this plays into the sci-fi adventure on March 18.