Shotgun Stories

Violence and coarse language Add to Basket $29.95 In Stock Processing Time: 3 - 4 days Online ordering help Add to wishlist Add to collection  Watch Trailer Official Website

Bad blood in the Deep South Son Hayes never speaks of the scars on his back. The shotgun pellets left under his skin are a sporadic pattern of blue-black dots. The men he works with take bets on how he got them, but his brothers, Boy and Kid Hayes, don’t discuss it. His past, just like these scars, is never far behind him. This stands true for the memory of his father, a man who never bothered to give his children proper names. He left the three brothers - Son, Boy and Kid - when they were young. Their memories are of a violent drunk who never hesitated to put his own needs ahead of his family. The brothers were left to be raised by their mother, a hateful woman, who to this day blames her children for the life she’s been left with and the man she could not keep. Their father sobered up, became a devout Christian, married a wonderful woman, and fathered four new sons - all of whom received proper names - and his became a model to which most would aspire: successful in business, community and family. But when he dies unexpectedly of a heart attack, and his first sons are not invited to the funeral, their bitter resentment sparks a vicious blood war between the two families.

Release Date: 01/04/2009
Genre: Drama
Director: Jeff Nichols
Runtime: 87.0 mins
Format: DVD, Region 4 (PAL)
Catalogue: MMA2825

"Brilliantly acted, superbly directed and beautifully shot, this is a gripping drama that really gets under your skin and marks writer-director Jeff Nichols out as a talent to watch... SHOTGUN STORIES, a thoroughly engaging, superbly directed and incredibly tense drama with a terrific central performance from Michael Shannon. Highly recommended." VIEW LONDON

"An understated gem. Writer-director Jeff Nichols, making his feature debut, has created a richly textured world." LA TIMES

"The film is a here-and-now American potboiler and a stripped-down parable that can be appreciated by any culture." NEW YORK TIMES

"It's rare that a picture that deals with as much tragedy as this one also manages to convey as much warmth to its characters." PREMIERE

"An allegory of our times, SHOTGUN STORIES is a tragedy of biblical scale and an intimate family drama. Unlike the more lauded films of last year, which glorified a national preoccupation with bloody deeds, SHOTGUN STORIES is a passionate cry to end the violence and a reminder that we, as free individuals, have the power to determine our own destinies." SEATTLE POST INTELLIGENCER