Watch: Matthew McConaughey Is 'Mud' in New Trailer for Jeff Nichols's Latest (Video)

At 33, "Mud" writer-director Jeff Nichols was the youngest filmmaker in competition for the Palme d'Or at last year's Cannes Film Festival. The "Take Shelter" filmmaker didn't win the coveted award for his new thriller, but he did find a home for it with Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate, who jointly acquired it out of the festival.

Ahead of its Stateside premiere at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, which launches Thursday, Jan. 17, the first trailer for the film has hit the web.

A western coming-of-age tale starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, "Mud" centers on two young boys who come across a man named Mud (McConaughey), trying to evade the law by hiding out on an island in Mississippi.

The film opens in select theaters April 26. Watch the trailer below: