‘Midnight Special’ Trailer: You Have No Clue What You’re Dealing With

The latest film from Mud and Take Shelter director Jeff Nichols is set to debut at SXSW next month, but you won’t have to wait long to see what’s so special about Midnight Special, as it hits theaters about a week after its festival premiere. A new trailer for the sci-fi indie has arrived, further teasing the mystery and desperation surrounding one very interesting little boy.

Midnight Special centers on a boy named Alton (Jaeden Lieberher), whose “gifts” are viewed by the religious folk in his small town as a sign of holiness, while others (including a journalist and the military) perceive him as a dangerous weapon — one that may need to be destroyed. Nichols’ latest film appears to explore the various shades of extremist views between church, state and federal entities, all revolving around a father’s desperate attempt to protect his son at any cost.

Nichols re-teams with his Take Shelter star Michael Shannon, who plays the boy’s father, and Joel Edgerton, who is set to appear in the director’s next project, Loving, based on the true story of an interracial couple in 1958. Midnight Special also stars Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, Sam Shepard and Scott Haze, and hits theaters on March 18.