New Review: Take Shelter

Take Shelter

R, 2 hr.

Directed By

Jeff Nichols

Written By

Jeff Nichols

Genres

Mystery & Suspense, Drama

Main Actors: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain

Easy on the eyes factor: 3. Nothing here beautiful to look at. Unless you like the flat lands of Ohio. There's truly not even good special effects or visual poetry. But the story is gripping enough that you don't need visuals.

30 Minute Rule: I would say yes, only because Michael Shannon has one of those faces that always makes you believe that everything is not right in the world. So he sucks you right in.

Plot: Curtis LaForche lives in a small Ohio town with his wife Samantha and six-year-old daughter Hannah, who is deaf. Money is tight, and navigating Hannah's healthcare and special needs education is a constant struggle. Despite that, Curtis and Samantha are very much in love and their family is a happy one. Then Curtis begins having terrifying dreams about an encroaching, apocalyptic storm. He chooses to keep the disturbance to himself, channeling his anxiety into the obsessive building of a storm shelter in their backyard. But the resulting strain on his marriage and tension within the community doesn't compare to Curtis' private fear of what his dreams may truly signify. Faced with the proposition that his disturbing visions signal disaster of one kind or another, Curtis confides in Samantha, testing the power of their bond against the highest possible stakes.

My Review: Let me start by talking about Michael Shannon, the lead actor. For me, if I saw him in real life, I would run. He is the creepiest man ever. With that being said, he must be a very good actor. He's very believable. He portrays an eccentric FBI agent in Boardwalk Empire; Agent Nelson Van Alden. Then, he was the boyfriend of Rabbit's mother in 8 Mile with Eminem. And every character he plays has so much depth and high levels of 'bizarritivity' (my word). This role as Curtis is more of that 'bizarritivity' and he does not disappoint.

I loved this movie because Curtis took you on a tour of his thoughts and visions. You could almost feel what he was feeling. At every turn, you were invited into his twisted imagination and imagery. Some of it was scary and raised the hair on my arms. Although Take Shelter is not a horror film, there are some horrific scenes in the film that can give you visions for days after watching. I'm still not totally right and it's been 2 days since I've watched. Even more, Curtis makes you understand what it feels like when you know something that no one else knows. A memorable scene is when he unleashes verbal terror on his community neighbors. They all are visibly shocked and disturbed. Michael Shannon's performance in that one scene is nothing short of brilliant.

I highly recommend this film. Do not miss this. It was not a big box office draw and it did not get much marketing or advertisement. But film critics, film festivals and movie geeks like myself love this movie.

Rating: 7 of 10