Take Shelter

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Take Shelter

June 21st 2011 23:27

American independent filmmaker Jeff Nichols got married and then got anxious. His relationship was fine, but he was concerned about the state of the world, and all that he and everyone else had to lose; the economic crisis, and of course, the environment. Nichols was standing in his back garden when an indelible image materialised in his head; that of a lone man standing over an open storm shelter, a huge black cloud looming in the distance. Who was this man? What was on his mind? What was he going to do? Take Shelter (2011) is the story of Curtis (Michael Shannon), married with a young daughter, in a small Ohio town, who starts to have terrifying dreams and hallucinations of an impending mother of all storms.

Michael Shannon as Curtis

I’m a big fan of Nichols’ debut feature Shotgun Stories that also starred Michael Shannon as the eldest brother embroiled in a dangerous family feud. Nichols is very talented as an actors’ director, eliciting the best possible performance from his cast members. He infuses a powerful slow-burn atmosphere of trouble brewing, and Take Shelter possesses the same attention to mood and tone.

Take Shelter Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon

Jessica Chastain as Samantha

But the giant storm pressing down on Curtis’s psyche and causing havoc with his rational mind isn’t what Take Shelter is primarily concerned with, although it is the focus of the main narrative thrust. This is a movie about a core relationship; marriage, and the importance of communication. There is a backbone of tension that holds Take Shelter taut as industrial cable. This energy is the transference of atmospheric unrest into the psychological fragility of Curtis. Just what is he experiencing? Are these dreams and visions premonitions, omens of something beyond the natural? Is this quite possibly a warning of the End of Days?

Curtis protects his daughter from a murder of panicking crows

It’s not just a massive storm cloud gathering in the sky above with huge lightning bolts thundering into the ground, there is a rain beginning to fall to, an apocalyptic rain made of petroleum. Curtis stares at it gathering in oily droplets on his hands, his hair greasy with it. He awakes in a cold sweat having fought off the family dog that attacked his daughter and then tried to chew his arm off. The next day he buys the materials for a large kennel and wire fence. His wife Sam (Jessica Chastain) is concerned as the dog was always allowed inside and has shown no signs of aggression. Curtis then purchases a huge shipping container, borrows an earth remover from his work, and proceeds to dig an extension to the existing storm shelter. Sam is furious when Sam is fired for breach of protocol.

Dark clouds of doom approaching

Take Shelter is a movie that doesn’t provide any major set-pieces, but is (dis)quietingly rewarding. It’s a character study, almost a chamber piece. It is a movie to watch for its performances and its assured unpretentious direction. There’s nothing hugely cinematic about Jeff Nichols mise-en-scene (the movie is less visually poetic as Shotgun Stories), yet the images remain burned on the retina. Where is this story heading? What will happen to Curtis and his family? The movie’s ending, the final scene, is where the much anticipated final card is played, and it’s a doozy. Not because it’s spectacular or such a twist, but because it validates commitment.

Curtis takes Sam and daughter Hannah (Tove Stewart) into the shelter

Michael Shannon is one of my favourite actors (I’m looking forward to his turn as General Zod in Zack Snyder’s upcoming Man of Steel), and he delivers superlative work here once again, but the real champion in Take Shelter is Jessica Chastain, her performance, the anxiety of a mother and wife watching her husband apparently losing his mind is beautifully handled. I hope she gets an Oscar nomination for Supporting Actress, just as I hope Shannon gets an Oscar nod for Best Actor.

Curtis prepares to look outside the shelter

Here’s the trailer:

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

2 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by David O'Connell

June 22nd 2011 03:39

20/20 Filmsight
Screen Fanatic

Looks very enticing indeed Bryn, just the sort of film I love. And agreed on Shannon, great actor. Never seen Shotgun Stories though, need to track that down too.

Are you doing a SIFF-related post that sums up all your impressions, including a ranking of sorts of the best films you saw?

Comment by Bryn

June 22nd 2011 06:06

Horrorphile

I was thinking of doing something like that ... But of course there are movies I liked that don't fit into the Horrorphile criteria, you find them over at Cult Projections, but I keep that site pretty stream-lined, so won't be doing a best-of there.

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