MUD Movie Review and Wine Pairing

What is MUD?  MUD is what churns up from the bottom of a hard-flowing river. MUD sticks to the bottom of your boots. It lay, deep down, packed full of dirt and silt and is the remains of a devastating flood, full of waste, debris.  MUD, directed by Jeff Nichols and starring Mathew McConaughey, is a tragic tale set in the deep south that is based on the life and character of a human being who came from nothing - from dirt, or, mud - the very place he was born.

Nichol's ability to show us the deep turmoil in MUD that can fester in human relationships and the dynamics of their evolution in this film is uncanny, unique, clever.  The story goes from past to present, present to past, the history, the future, the new - the old.  He ties MUD together so well in these relationships with his sordid tone it almost felt like a fable or a tragedy, the likes of Shakespeare.

As the film delivers a depth of sadness to its' audience, Nichols is able to portray to us that in all dark, there is light.  One just knows, from the very beginning, this story is going to be a tough one to swallow.  But, in it, relationships are fostered between McConaughey and two young boys that do provide a glimmer of light.  It is through this relationship with these two new friends he seeks to find redemption from past atrocities he has committed.  The bad guy learns something new about himself and the world and he, somewhat, evolves.  All the while, the mud they are stuck in, thickens.

Set in poverty, this struggle of the human condition is laden with human error in bad decisions, all, festering in the dirty world of poverty along the brown and churning Mississippi River.  There is lies, there is deceit, trickery, heartbreak, and there is murder.

But, what does shine in this film are the two little boys who aid this conman in his quest to find his lifelong love who, once, saved his life.  What they, first, begin to do to help him in his dilemma to be with his long lost love evolves into something quite different by the end of film.   They teach him about love, himself, and the bigger picture of life.  We are taken from dark to light and all the while the audience swims in the mud.

Somehow, though, we learn to love our bad guy by the end of the film.  Hell, it's Mathew Mconaughey....chicks dig him.  As this superstar gone bad isn't quite as tough to swallow as Ryan Gosling heading south in, A Place Beyond The Pines, it does end, somewhat tragically. 

For our pain and sorrows, i recommend a profound libation - something deep, heavy, and powerful.  For this, i suggest sipping DOW'S 20 Year Old Tawny Port.  With a light aroma of caramel and a hint of vanilla swirling in deep cherry fruit, this dessert wine is a perfect pairing.