Abri

This is Paul Bettany's debut as a director and a writer and what a debut. This movie captures one's attention from the very beginning. The movie has many twists and turns while telling a story about an ignored group of people in today's society. It plays on the emotions of the audience from high to low. Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Mackie display good screen chemistry and play off each other really well throughout the movie. Jennifer Connelly was really believable and this is perhaps her best role to date. Anthony Mackie is equally mesmerizing in his performance. This is a well written and directed movie with wonderful acting. I would recommend this as a must see.

This film moved me... or rather made me look at things a little differently I suppose. I normally give money to panhandlers, buy them a hot meal whenever I can. Where I live, homelessness is an issue that people don't concern themselves with as much as New York because the climate is warmer, and people generally survive easier I suppose. But this movie made me think about those individuals who are struggling in a deeper way.

Shelter takes place over the course of a few seasons in New York city. A tough place to be, and even tougher if you're homeless. It's hard to get by, and there is no shortage of people who are willing to take advantage of you. We are introduced to two such individuals played aptly by Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Mackie. Two different lives that simply interact one day, and forever changes their paths. Both are on the street for different reasons, and both have their own demons to deal with. Their paths intertwine and they begin to show real promise, as a couple just down on their luck, just looking for and hoping for any real opportunity to dig themselves out of the hole they are in.

What really sticks with you is how utterly believable the situations are. Most movies about homelessness, usually with a huge celebrity attached to it are much harder for me to believe, but with this cast and story it was so easy to fall into. Times are tough all over the world, and New York is probably more susceptible than most cities to find yourself in hard times and taken advantage of. I feel very grateful to not have been in any of the situations you witness in this film, but I promise you, it will make you think about those who are.

An excellent first story from writer/director Paul Bettany.

7/10

I have no words for this beautiful and unexpected piece of gem...i watched it and not sure what is all about ...but after watching it i was speechless....great topic and sure an eye opening subject ...Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Mackie did a well job with their role...and i am surprised why its not well rated.i don't know why the junk movies are well rated that the producers are making and remaking it again and again...Paul Bettany is clearly sending a message with his debut direction and writing ..that he can do something with a topic that no other famous directors even bother to see.. its a powerful drama and worth watching... i think it deserve more than the average stars ...Go see it with your heart ...i am sure you will not regret it..

Bettany doesn't pull any punches with this film, so don't expect some feel-good love story, and expect to feel really good about yourself when the final credits roll. This is a really nice piece of work, that speaks to how people end-up on the street, and why they stay; even if they decide to leave.

This piece is intended to make you re-think your views on homeless street people, and in my book does a really nice job. The film doesn't try to place the blame on anyone, which I really think brings the authenticity through.

I personally have not seen another motion picture that brought such resolution in my mind about street addicts; why they do it, how they got there, and what really our their choices once they partake.

Sometimes you watch a movie and the material presented is so realistic, so filled with gravity and so sad that you almost walk away. You exclaim, 'What a movie!' but it's so real that you are disturbed and it crosses the line, no longer interest and entertainment but something you find too graphic to watch. This, for me, usually happens with 'better' horror movies. But it happened with this one. Recently I saw Incendies. The experience here is almost the same. At its heart it is a beautiful love story, but when it showed how vulnerable the protagonists were it was shocking on several levels, not least because previously one imagined these were two of the strongest people in the world and more than capable to deal with contingencies. I say on several levels, for example, the efforts of the State also come into focus, and it's odd because actually the State here is seen in a positive light. Shelter is beautifully filmed, directed, edited and acted. I got through to the end, but I was deeply moved, and just a tad unsettled.