Rating: PG13
Genre:
Drama
Theatrical Release: 03/26/2008(USA
Release Date: 07/01/2008
Dubbed: English
Sound: DD2/DD5.1
Run Time: 91 Minutes
Flags: Violence, Adult Situations, Profanity
Distributor/Studio: Liberation Ent.
Two families linked by the same father explode into a violent rivalry in this independent Southern gothic
drama, the first feature from director
Jeff Nichols.
Cleaman Hayes lived and died in Little Rock, AR, where he had seven sons by two different women. After wedding
Nicole (
Natalie Canerday),
Cleaman sired three sons, and his lack of concern for their future was reflected in the fact he barely gave them names -- they were dubbed
Son (
Michael Shannon),
Kid (
Barlow Jacobs) and
Boy (
Douglas Ligon). One day,
Cleaman abandoned his wife and sons, and left them to survive in deep poverty that has trapped them to this day. Eventually
Cleaman cleaned up his act, launched a successful business, married again, and raised four more sons --
Cleaman Jr. (
Michael Abbott, Jr.),
Mark (
Travis Smith),
Stephen (
Lynsee Provence) and
John (
David Rhodes), all of whom were given the love and attention
Cleaman denied his first three children. When
Cleaman dies, all seven sons attend the funeral, and
Son, overcome by bitterness, spits on his father's coffin and tells everyone how much he hated the man. Short tempered
Mark answers
Son with his fists, and a free-for-all breaks out between the two Hayes families. The anger and rivalry doesn't end at the end of the day, and soon a war has broken out between the clans, with no small amount of blood shed on either side.
Shotgun Stories received its North American premiere at the
2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
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