Son Hayes never speaks of the scars on his back. The shotgun pellets left under his skin make for a sporadic pattern of blue-black dots. The men he works with take bets on how he got them. His brothers, Boy and Kid Hayes, don't discuss it. His past, just like these scars, is never far behind him. Shotgun Stories tracks a feud that erupts between two sets of half brothers following the death of their father. Set against the cotton fields and back roads of Southeast Arkansas, these brothers discover the lengths to which each will go to protect their family.
Directed by
Jeff Nichols
Written by
Jeff Nichols
Starring
Michael Shannon (Son Hayes); Douglas Ligon (Boy Hayes); Barlow Jacobs (Kid Hayes); Natalie Canerday (Nicole); Glenda Pannell (Annie Hayes); Lynnsee Provence (Stephen Hayes). Please contact SFC to add other cast members and characters.
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An imperfect act of contrition
Mark Banks (United Kingdom)
Opinion: Limited Recommendation
Shotgun Stories had great potential to explore the darker side of human nature and shed some light on the subjects of revenge and forgiveness, but unfortunately by-and-large it failed to do so. My biggest criticism with this film [spoilers ahead] is that come the end of the film Son Hayes and Boy Hayes decide not to seek further revenge but instead to let things lie. And as the film ends with them both sitting peacefully on their porch, we are given the implicit message that they have done the right thing, that all will be okay from now on, and that actually these are two pretty good guys. Yet their decision to walk away from the situation was one more based upon the fact that they didn't want to lose any more family and be left alone in the world; rather than based upon any true level of forgiveness or acknowledgement of the fact that they have acted in a very sinful way. Most notable of all, Boy pointed a shotgun at one of his half-brothers' chest and was about to kill him when that man's son walked in on the situation. The effect that sight would have had on the child would have been horrendous, yet there was no acknowledgement of the wider scope of influence of their attitudes and behaviour to anyone beyond themselves. The one shining light is that they did indeed walk away in the end; communicating a good message of the futility of shedding blood and seeking revenge, but this film could have been a lot better with a few revisions to the screenplay.
