Mike McMullin found his first feature screening at the Tribeca Film Festival this past May. Low Tide is a coming-of-age tale that critics have compared to other teen adventure stories like the “Goonies.” The imaginative, 86 minute feature leaves you wanting more from the entire cast and it’s first time director and producer, Mike McMullin.
Far from LA, Mike McMullin grew up on the beaches of New Jersey. While McMullin talks about stories like Rumble Fish and The Outsiders inspiring him to write the script, it’s his childhood memories of the Jersey Shore boardwalk that seem to have been the catalyst for Low Tide’s creation.
The main cast of Alan, Red and Smitty, are teens robbing local houses off of the Jersey Shore, seeking out any loot they can find. Alan, played by Keean Johnson, starts to second guess his bad decisions once Red, played by Alex Neustaedter, wants to throw Peter (Jaeden Martell), his younger brother, into the mix.
Decision making only get more complicated for Alan once he finds valuable gold coins that could change their lives forever. Tension builds as a local police officer, Sgt. Kent, played by Shea Whigham, simultaneously warns Alan to stop breaking into homes before getting caught. Alan knows he must separate himself from Red, an unpredictable, Captain Hook-esk, sociopathic bully who demands they must continue to steal at least one more time; even threatening the boys with a gun. Soon thereafter, Smitty and Red find out about the gold coins. To make matters worse, Smitty and Red force the idea that they all must split the treasure amongst them. Of course, this leaves many problems to arise. The plot continues down a somewhat predictable path, however, the stand out performances show a promising future in Hollywood for these young actors.
For Low Tide, it’s the pure talent of these newcomers that carry the audience through McMullin’s storytelling with a fresh voice and new perspectives. Despite the reminiscent narrative, Low Tide is surprising at every turn thanks to Andrew Ellmaker’s alluring camerawork. All in all, it’s clear McMullin’s directorial debut is far from finished yet.
In Theaters October 4th.
