Take Shelter

In "Take shelter" Curtis La Forche (Michael Shannon) is afraid of a devastating storm. Soon this fear dominates his life and he decides to make an underground shelter in his backyard.

"Take shelter" is about fear but it is also about the apocalyps.

The apocalyps takes in this film the form of a devastating storm. It's a storm of biblical proportions, but less religious spectators maybe inclined to make a connection with global warming. Apparently each time has it's own image of what Armageddon is like, because in the 80's of the last century I'm quite shure the film would be about a nuclear Holocaust.

Whatever the form the apocalyps takes, the remedy is more stable: an underground shelter. Watch for example the video clip Donald Fagen made for his 80's hit "New frontier".

"Takes shelter" is also a film about fear, just like for example "Cleo, from 5 to 7" (1962, Agnes Varda), in which the lead character is afraid of having an incurable illness. In both films the clues indicating whether the fear is justified or not are mixed.

Justified or not, for sure the fear in "Take shelter" is not functional. At first it puts the main character in social isolation and (in an ironic twist of fate) when his fear may materialise his shelter is way out of reach.

The social context of the film is firmly American. When the lead character loses his job during the film, he also loses his health insurence. For a family with a disabled child this is nothing less than a disaster. Something similar happened in "The insider" (1999, Michael Mann).

How do you handle visions about the future that are so real that you're sure they're going to happen? I suppose that's what it's like to be a prophet, but being a prophet in 2011 is a quick way to get you committed.

Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) was having incredibly vivid visions; so much so he began to build an underground shelter much like Noah began building his arc. Curtis envisioned a biblical storm that would decimate all in its path. The problem is no one else believed him, and there is that small thing about his mom (Kathy Baker) being schizophrenic. Perhaps it was hereditary.

"Take Shelter" moves slow and methodically. It's a bit hard to be patient with the movie as Curtis' life crumbles around him and we're waiting to see if his visions are correct or not. Curtis is such a good guy you don't want him to be going crazy, but you have to prepare for that possibility. To add to his complications he has a deaf daughter (Tova Stewart) in need of an expensive surgery. Curtis paints himself into an untenable position: his vision must come true or he must come to grips with his mental illness.

I hear it so much now. Our national discourse is rich with portent. "It's going to get worse before it gets better", "Something horrible is coming, you'll see", "Soon there will be riots". I'm told these things at conventions and while talking to my neighbors and at breakfast with my mother's old friends. Now Jeff Nichols takes an exhausted phrase in storytelling, ("There's a storm coming") and crafts out of it the movie of the moment. A dark, symbolic mapping of the last five years of the middle-class American experience that's bursting at the mental and financial seams. I have yet to see a finer artistic expression of the current existential crises we face. Michael Shannon is the Noah of our hour, plagued with calamitous visions and barely bearing up under the weight of constant anxiety. In fact, the whole endeavor is buried in quiet distress and prescience. And when the movie finally finds the heart to redeem it's long suffering protagonist, it is through the worst of all possible outcomes. Essential viewing for our times.

Greetings again from the darkness. What a beautiful piece of filmmaking that up-and-coming writer/director Jeff Nichols (Shotgun Stories) delivers. Not only will the story grab you and hold tightly, but Michael Shannon's performance will stun your senses. All of that from a film with very few special effects and a story based in a quiet, rural Ohio town? Yes.

Shannon (Boardwalk Empire, Revolutionary Road) plays Curtis, a quiet, hard-working husband and father. His friend and co-worker Dewart is played by Shea Whigham (also Boardwalk Empire). Early on, Dewart tells Curtis (with a touch of envy) that he has a good life, and that's about the best thing you can say about a man. It's about this time that all heck breaks loose for Curtis. He has apocalyptic dreams and visions that a world-changing storm is coming.

Being the strong man and protective head of the family that he is, Curtis tries to keep this quiet. However, his behavior grows more strange as he builds out a storm shelter in the backyard, gets rid of the family dog, and messes things up at work. Most of this wouldn't stand out for most people, but Curtis is the "normal" guy - the one who is consistent and predictable. At least he once was.

Curtis' wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and hearing impaired daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart) are supportive and try to give him space, but the family demands are such that a husband and wife confrontation is not long in the making. Turns out Curtis has a family history that drives him to dig a little deeper and even seek help.

After much emotional wrangling, there is a scene at a fundraising dinner where Curtis and Dewart have it out. Shannon's rant is one of the more powerful scenes you will ever see on film, and may have just clinched him an Oscar nomination.

This is a thought-provoking and emotional film that doesn't beat you over the head. Things unfold at a natural pace, in fact, it may be too slow for some viewers. The score is haunting and never once over-bearing as we battle through these stages with Curtis.

The ending may prove controversial, but I just smiled a very satisfied smile in appreciation of one beautiful film. There could be comparisons to Peter Weir's The Last Wave, or even The Coen Brothers' A Serious Man (sans humor), but to me, this one stands on its own as a story of love, support and strength.

This is my first review, I felt compelled to write it due to this absolutely amazing and thought provoking movie. For me it's a work of art, from the acting to the dialogue to the cinematography but more importantly the subject matter. I have dealt with issues in my own family that relate to this movie so it really hit a raw nerve with me. It actually opened my eyes and mind to my own past.

Why this movie has gone under the radar in terms of awards baffles me!? The acting is something I've never seen before and I've watched a lot of movies in my time. It was so real, all the actors were brilliant but Michael Shannon who plays Curtis and Jessica Chastain who plays Sam were outstandingly good. Some of their scenes together had me in tears. The little girl who played their daughter was brilliant to, so believable.

You really must see this movie, I'd go as far as saying it's the best movie I've seen for years. Jeff Nichols has an amazing mind! All I can say is WOW!