Take Shelter Review

Posted by Chad Webb on 10.27.2011

A film about delusions, madness, and our collective fear....

Michael Shannon: Curtis
Jessica Chastain: Samantha
Tova Stewart: Hannah
Shea Wigham: Dewart
Katy Mixon: Nat
Natasha Randall: Cammie
Ron Kennard: Russell
Written and Directed By: Jeff Nichols
Release Date: September 30, 2011
Running Time: 120 minutes







Rated R for some language

Take Shelter begins with one of the recurring apocalyptic dreams that Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) is having. These visions feature a storm worse than normal, including a thick, brown rain that makes living things crazy. Curtis lives a “good life” as his friend and co-worker says, with his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and his hearing-impaired daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart). He’s a crew chief of a sand mining company in Ohio whose income and benefits are basically the sole support for the family (Samantha makes a few bucks from selling homemade items). They have a nice home, and hope to use Curtis’ quality medical benefits to get Hannah necessary surgery for her hearing. Their easygoing existence changes as Curtis’ nightmares get more frequent and increasingly vivid.

As a result of these dreams, Curtis begins to take action in preparation for them. In one of Take Shelter’s best sequences, Curtis explains that they might be dreams or nightmares, but he feels them as well. After one resulted in the family dog biting his arm, Curtis’ arm legitimately hurt once he awoke. So he begins by building a fence around the dog house. Whenever these episodes involve a person he is close with, he grows awkward around them, distancing himself in fear. He then unlocks their storm shelter, which was obviously abandoned until that point, and revitalizes it, even if that means spending money the family doesn’t have. As Curtis burden spirals out of whack, he tries counseling and even questions his mother, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at around the same age he is now. As he struggles with his own sanity, the question still lingers, is he crazy, or is he prophetic?

Take Shelter is not just a movie about a man’s descent into madness. This is a story about our current mindset, this particular time in our world, the constant apprehension of Doomsday from economic disaster, environmental happenings, or perhaps the natural way of things like the Mayans and 2012 predicts. Writer and director Jeff Nichols escapes each of the pitfalls the premise suggests and hits all the right steps for a film about mental illness and anything concerning a possible impending apocalypse. Take Shelter has the skin of a horror flick, the muscle of a drama, and the consistent bloodflow of suspense. Unlike other offerings that focus on visions, Curtis’ actually mean a great deal, are palpable, and act as a catalyst of other symptoms and conditions to avoid becoming repetitive. Sometime she wakes up short of breathe or spitting up blood.

Michael Shannon gives an extraordinary performance as Curtis, a regular diligent husband and father plagued by visions only he understands. Shannon has an imposing presence, and distinct facial features which always sport that same straightforward, slightly perturbed expression, thus every deviation from that is momentous. He approaches the character and every sequence with an unforced depth and a controlled intensity. Observing that significant moment where Curtis finally divulges the details of his dreams to his wife is gripping and gut-wrenching. We truly empathize with Curtis' dilemma, and know that he genuinely believes in what he has seen. Perhaps he thinks the counseling will ease his doubts, or put a name to the problem. Shannon’s career nicely shifts from mainstream fare to prestige cinema and also through independent efforts rather effortlessly. He received a deserved Oscar nomination for his dynamic supporting turn in Revolutionary Road, and he will get another one with this lasting depiction.

In The Tree of Life, Jessica Chastain portrayed a housewife, but she was apart of something vast, bigger than the cast. She is a housewife in Take Shelter as well, but in this universe, her acting skills are at the forefront. Not only is she gorgeous and impossible to look away from as Samantha, but similar to Shannon, she has the strength of holding back, never overplaying her hand. One can sense the aggravation from her character, not to mention the desperation in trying to grasp Curtis' internal torture. The authenticities of her reactions are flawless as Curtis continues to make decisions on the fly, by himself. We do not judge her. One of the film's stand-out scenes occurs when the family attends a community meal of sorts. Curtis is finally pushed to the edge, and unleashes a mesmerizing verbal tirade. Scared and shocked, Chastain's Samantha could have responded in any number of stereotypical, melodramatic ways, but instead she embraces Curtis, who is clearly overwhelmed. Her faith, loyalty, and innocence in the family dynamic is crucial.

It goes without saying that this is Chastain's year, and this is another example of why she is an actress that is here to stay. She has churned out an astonishing series of roles this year, which includes titles such as The Help, The Debt, and Coriolanus. For Shannon, this is added evidence of why his name should be more recognizable. His abilities have enabled him to work with directors like Oliver Stone (World Trade Center), William Friedkin (Bug), Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road), and Werner Herzog (My Son, My Son What Have Ye Done?) just to name a few. This brilliant duo is backed up by sharp, focused supporting work from Shea Wigham as Curtis's buddy Dewart. He knows that Curtis is off-kilter, but is not sure how to help. Kathy Baker is quite sufficient as Curtis' mother, and Tova Stewart is terrific as Hannah, their hearing-impaired child. Nichols never uses Stewart as a source of cuteness, nor does he embellish her handicap. One moving exchange has the parents glancing at her sleeping, acknowledging that they still tip-toe and whisper at night even though it's not needed.

Nichols' use of special effects and CGI is seamless and stunning. Take the frightening formations of the birds that Curtis stares into the sky at, or the creepy looking cloud formations in the distance. Thankfully, instead of going out of his way to prove he has CGI wizards and flaunting that, most of the visual artistry is blended with the regular action in an almost unnoticeable manner. Nichols is also adept in accentuating the specificity of time and place, opting for longer unbroken takes, free of manipulation or that annoying trend of ADD style editing, yet still maintaining a high level of tension. The relationships and layout of the small town and its residents are incredibly familiar and innate, which makes the mental illness or possibility of a life-threatening storm all that more relevant and emotional.

This is the sophomore effort from Jeff Nichols. His excellent debut was called Shotgun Stories from 2008, which also starred Shannon and is well worth seeking out. He is a talented writer and director who has a bright future, and that is obvious because of how he handles this subject matter with such subtlety, care, and aplomb. He and Shannon manage to exhibit a tormented soul who can be simultaneously troubled by hallucinations, yet can function in daily life. Not an easy task. With his deliberate pacing, he establishes an alluring mood of eeriness and unease. Nichols is also a master of the tight-rope wire method of filmmaking since the viewer is never sure what to believe from one instant to the next. The elegance of the cinematography from Adam Stone, the emotional escalation from David Wingo's score, and gradual snowballing of permeating ominous dread make this one of the year's finest and most original motion pictures.

The 411: I knew Take Shelter was pretty popular on the festival circuit, and that might have enticed me a little, but I was interested in it because of Michael Shannon, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. I had no idea Jeff Nichols' second feature would be a shoe-in for my 2011 Top 10 list. This is a magnificent piece of work that evokes the early style of Terrence Malick's Badlands and The Coen brothers' Blood Simple. This film also has Jessica Chastain, whom I grow more fond of with each passing role, though it seems like her 2011 is endless. I cannot recommend this enough. This is currently on a limited run, but slowly expanding. Do yourself a favor and drive the extra miles to see it if you can.

Final Score:  10.0   [ Virtually Perfect ]