The first clip from upcoming sci-fi film "Midnight Special" has been released on Yahoo! Movies. In the scene, a trip to the gas station looks like it could go very wrong, with Roy (Michael Shannon) looking to protect his mysterious goggles-wearing son, Alton (Jaeden Lieberher).

The clip doesn't provide much in the way of clarity as to what the film's all about, and much of the film has remained a mystery in its promotion -- which is the point, according to writer/director Jeff Nichols.

"There’s this bigger, general idea of sci-fi government chase movies," Nichols told Yahoo! Movies, citing "Starman," "E.T." and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." "There’s a look to those films that I really love. The blue lens flares, the inky blacks. ['Midnight Special'] comes from that feeling, that sense that I got of watching those movies as a kid. That's the kind of movie I wanted to make -- that was mysterious and unfolded and took me to some new place."

Here's the official synopsis of "Midnight Special," which will be distributed by Warner Bros.:

Every mile that Roy and his eight-year-old son cover on their journey down highways and byways brings us closer to their incredible story. Gradually, we begin to understand why this boy with extraordinary powers has to wear protective glasses. We also learn why religious extremists are interested in him, and why both the local police and high-ranking American government officials are hot on the heels of father and son. In his new film Jeff Nichols may have changed genres but he remains true to himself. Midnight Special is an idiosyncratic mixture of science-fiction and family saga; at the same time, Nichols continues to explore the structures of violence and paranoia in small-town America, showing us both the influence wielded by arch-conservative sects and the powerlessness of the individual in the face of an aggressive state apparatus. The longer their flight continues, the more fantastical it becomes as we observe a loving father undertaking everything in his power to lead his son to his destiny a destiny that could also decide the fate of the entire world.

Also starring Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst and Adam Driver, "Midnight Special" is scheduled for release on March 18.