- Michael Shannon starred in all three films directed by Jeff Nichols before 2013, "Shotgun Story", "Asylum" and the film.
- Nichols has been conceiving this story since 2000 when he was a student. He drew inspiration from Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and personal experience. He said in an interview that his first heartbreak was when he was fourteen or five years old, a year or two older than the protagonist in the film.
- The "Made" in the film is tailor-made for Matthew McConaughey. Nichols decided that he would play this role after watching "Small Town". But in 2011, Chris Pine was once expected to play Madder.
- Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon played Juniper in the film, not too many roles, she and director Nichols belong to the same agency, which facilitated this collaboration.
- When looking for child actors, the crew specifically asked the boys to be able to engage in activities that Southern boys often play, such as boating and mountain biking. In the end, Jacob Loveland, a 15-year-old boy from Yell County, Arkanson, stood out from the 2,000 boys and was appointed as the main character Neckbone.
- The story takes place in Arkansas, the hometown of director Nichols, but he grew up in the suburbs of Little Rock rather than in the country.
- The film was shot from September to November in 2011, and it took 8 weeks in total. The crew hired more than 400 local extras, making it almost the largest film ever shot in Arkanson history.
Mud behind the scenes gags
2022-01-28 08:03
Extended Reading
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Luther 2022-04-24 07:01:06
Just like "Beasts of the South", it's also a story from the American South, and it's a brilliant little brat... Actually, I'm not very impressed. Give Ellis and Mud three stars for their acting skills.
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Jessica 2022-01-28 08:03:34
Very exquisite script, I really like this kind of child’s perspective of saying goodbye to the last innocent film. Through the child’s eyes, people can see clearly the so-called love, good and evil morals, and the complexity and helplessness of the adult world. In the film, every man more or less never meets a "good" woman. Some people no longer believe in women and love. Maybe it's just because some people don't know how to let go, because some people are unlucky. ★★★★
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Senior: You know I love you?
Ellis: Yessir. I know.
Senior: I work you hard 'cause life is work. You know that?
Ellis: Yessir.
Senior: Your Mamma's been talkin' 'bout movin' in town.
Ellis: What's that mean?
Senior: She seems set on it. Wants to separate. She may ask me for a divorce.
Ellis: [pause] What's that mean for me?
Senior: It means enjoy the river son. Enjoy it while you live on it, 'cause this way a life isn't long for this world. Game and Fish's 'bout made certain of that.
Ellis: But you and me can still live out here. Game and Fish can't take your boat. Not while you're still in it.
Senior: The houseboat's in your mother's name. Her daddy give it to her not me. If she wants to leave it, Game and Fish has ever' right to take this boat apart board by board.
Ellis: But that ain't right. You work outta here. We got the ice machine, the traps. What are we supposed to do?
Senior: Like I said, this is your mother's business.
Ellis: I ain't no townie. I ain't livin' like that.
Senior: [pause] I've let you down. A man should be in charge of his own affairs, but I haven't worked it like that.
Ellis: But ya'll are married. Ya'll are s'posed to love each other.
Senior: I don't know about that anymore.
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Mud: Tom's had lives you'd never even know about. Grew up up north,went to Yale. For a long time he was a paid assassin for the CIA. Flew to Cuba in '63. He's killed more people than y'all probably ever met.