Before Jeff Nichols took the indie film world (with Take Shelter) by storm—both literally and figuratively—he made his mark with Shotgun Stories (premiered at the Berlinale in 2007), a poignant tragi-drama about a fractured family that descends into quiet, simmering violence. Both portraits showcased Nichols’ ability to weave complex family dynamics with understated tension. In just under two decades, the Little Rock, Arkansas native has steadily built a compelling body of work, delivering six feature films that blend Americana with intimate portraits of home and family. His characters range from outsiders and outlaws to ordinary individuals simply striving to carve out a space for themselves in the world.
Nichols was invited by the Marrakech Intl. Film Festival to be the mentor of the Atlas Workshops. Now in his mid-forties, the filmmaker is in hungry-mode — currently working on a half dozen projects. I had the opportunity to catch up with the filmmaker post The Bikeriders and find out more about his future projects (he’s currently deep into adapting Cormac McCarthy’s The Passenger and Stella Maris), while he is steadily developing one (Land of Opportunity), still finding the financial footing for another (The Yankee Comandante), and, as a surprise to us, has two additional projects in the works as well. Austin Butler’s unwavering character in The Bikeriders makes it clear where his loyalty stands, declaring, “You’d have to kill me to get this jacket off,” I believe Nichols will embody that same level of dedication moving forward. Here is my sit-down along with fellow journalist Ben Croll:
