Take Shelter is written and directed by Jeff Nichols, who has only directed three films including this one. All three films have starred his favorite actor Michael Shannon, who takes the lead part in Take Shelter. The cast also includes the very impressive Jessica Chastain and Shea Whigham.
Plot:
Curtis (Shannon) is suddenly plagued by apocalyptic visions, and, fearing for his sanity, begins to earnestly build a storm shelter in his backyard. His obsessive devotion begins to tear apart his family, and Curtis questions whether he should shelter his family from the upcoming storms or himself.
My Thoughts:
From the opening scene to the closing, Nichols envelops the movie in a shroud of dread, disease, unsettling paranoia that's so compelling and yet, subtle enough to where you don't even notice that you're as afraid as Curtis, (Michael Shannon). The cinematography is slow-paced and mellow, and the coloring is subtle and and fairly dulled, which gave the film an eerie feel, as if something isn't quite right the whole time. Also, quick shout out to the original soundtrack written by David Wingo. The theme song for this film, (which you hear in the trailer below) so perfectly captures and enhances the mood of the film.
What that subtle art direction did was allow the viewer to focus heavily on the acting performances. And my gosh, were they good. Michael Shannon's performance as a normal man who hopelessly watches his whole life and mind unravel is riveting to say the least. He proves to us that there is no greater terror then the fear of oneself, and the viewer is forced to watch as this terror slowly rips him apart. Its horrifyingly convincing, but not too dark to where it felt self-indulgent. Shannon's counterpart, Jessica Chastain, plays the role of a confused, frustrated, scared, yet loving and supportive wife of Curtis. She is as equally powerful as Shannon, with her character representing love, hope, and faith that Curtis so desperately needs.
I usually don't write about this topic in my reviews, but I will for Take Shelter. That topic is the underlying themes of the movie. The reason I don't usually write about these is that I believe it's very important for the viewer to discover them on their own. And if they don't, then they weren't meant to find them. That's the beauty of storytelling; letting the listener/viewer/reader discover for themselves how the story touches their lives and what they want to take away form it. I will say though, for Take Shelter, that the themes are fairly easy to find and beautifully interwoven into each scene. There's fear vs hope, trust vs stubbornness, reality vs fantasy, sanity vs insanity, love vs addition/obsession...... There's a whole masterpiece lying just underneath the surface that deserves to be discovered and appreciated.
The ending of the film, (about 20 minutes) is surprisingly, yet quite satisfyingly conventional. It truly saved this film from falling into the overflowing bin of "too-dark" films. I absolutely loved it, because it allows the viewer to hope and trust, and yet never once losing that overarching feeling of unease. In fact, I'll go ahead and say that this film might be the best film of the first half of 2012. It is, I warn, a slow-paced film, but that's the point. Nichols forces the viewer to watch our lovable lead character ever-so-slowly fall into madness (or is he?). I highly recommend this film for anyone that can enjoy a slow-paced film for the sake of an incredible story.
Note: I recognize this film was released in theatrically in 2011. But wide-spread release was not available until 2012 when it went to DVD, so I decided to rank it in the films for 2012, as I've seen that most critics are doing the same.
Rating: 9/10
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