Through an open doorway we see a man without a shirt sitting on an unmade bed. In his hand is a white piece of paper. On his back is a spattering of circular, scarred-over wounds, like craters of flesh. Both membranes have stories inscribed on them. We just don't know what they are yet. Maybe we'll find out. Maybe we won't. The man, Son Hayes (Academy Award-nominee Michael Shannon), reads the unfolded note, nods in acknowledgement, and looks up, as if to face himself in an off-screen mirror.
There's nothing showy or spectacular about the first image of Jeff Nichols' "Shotgun Stories" (one of my ten "best favorite" movies of 2008), but it's a grabber nonetheless. The shot actually continues after an inter-title: The man tosses the note on the night table, stands, and moves to the dresser. He pulls a shirt out of a top drawer, then pauses and opens another one. Cut: Empty. He opens the next. Also empty. The one below it: Empty too. He turns his back to us and we see the welts on his back straight-on. Title: "Shotgun Stories." Quietly, effortlessly, we're caught up in the storytelling in a matter of seconds...
Beautiful.
The images and atmosphere of this film, all throughout, say so much with so little. I think one of the best accomplishments of the film is that, by the end, it does capture the peace of the small-town life, sitting out on the front porch, enjoying the breeze, or sunset or just... peace of mind. It doesn't imply that each family is in this vendetta simply because they have nothing better to do, which actually puts the onus back on those involved. They're in control of the situation. Their settings suggest there is a peace worth having there. (Unlike, say, the maddeningly quiet and black-and-white blandness of the small town in "The Last Picture Show" which seem starved for color and excitement.)
It's amazing how two filmmakers can take the same setting and bring out two completely different lives, though the feeling of where you are is dependent too on the people inhabiting the place, as "Shotgun Stories" shows.
This was one of my favorite moments in the film, particularly the turn that finally gives us a good look at the welts. The scars are there through the whole story, but most of the time we don't have a clear view of them.
Good to see you're doing the opening shots again, Jim!
Very glad to see the Opening Shots Project back. :)
"Shotgun Stories" is at the top of my to-see list.
Certainly a shot that will grab you, even if its one that we felt like we've seen many a times. Doesn't Mystic River have a similar opening?
Regardless, it's the welts on the back that make the movie immediately engaging, and Michael Shannon keeps it that way.
This was one of my favorite films of 2008, #4 on my list. I love the choices Jeff Nichols makes about what to leave in, what to leave out in telling these "Shotgun Stories." There's always more to a story than we see, and he respects that. Whether it's the off-screen violence, mysterious backstories, or the wider world outside the insular town, this is a film defined as much by what's not shown as what is. This opening shot you've chosen is a perfect example of that, piquing our interest by conveying something of character, tone, setting, and even plot in a few spare, silent seconds.
I grew up in a number of small towns close to where this was shot, and know these particular towns, England and Keo, Arkansas, well. Nichols' team perfectly captured their slow rhythms, quiet beauties and unspoken sadnesses, as Karlos said, without resorting to condescension or cliche. This film was criminally overlooked in 2008. I hope it finds a wider and more appreciative audience on DVD.