"Listen up. There is a storm coming like nothing you've ever seen and not a one of you is prepared for it."
Take Shelter is the long awaited follow up from writer/director Jeff Nichols, who won acclaim with his debut film, Shotgun Stories. The 2007 picture weaved itself into the New American Realism movement and chronicled the story about a blood feud between two sets of brothers living in a small Midwestern town. Take Shelter drops you into a similar setting and re-teams Nichols with actor Michael Shannon. This time, however, Take Shelter is a less hopeful film than Shotgun Stories, owing to the prevailing cultural zeitgeist in the midst of war and economic collapse.
Shannon is Curtis LaForche, a construction worker living in Ohio with his lovely wife, Samantha (Jessica Chastain). Their daughter, Hannah (Tova Stewart), is deaf and her parents jump through hoops to get their medical insurer to cover surgery for a cochlear implant. Despite this trouble, Curtis lives a good life, a fact happily pointed out by his best friend and co-worker Dewart (Shea Wigham). "I think that's the best compliment you can give a man, take a look at his life and say, 'That's good.'"
Dark times are ahead when Curtis is plagued by foreboding and disturbing nightmares. He envisions viscous liquid raining down from the sky. Another dream sees Curtis desperately trying to protect Hannah as strangers break into his pick-up truck and claw at him as if they were in the middle of a zombie movie. Curtis awakes in a sweaty start and the dread lingers on. He fears the well-behaved family dog will bite him so he puts him out in the yard. As the visions worsen, Curtis takes out a risky home improvement loan to build a storm shelter in their backyard. Samantha is exasperated at his bizarre behavior and his reticence to explain his actions. We learn that Curtis's mother was institutionalized for paranoid schizophrenia, which leaves you wondering if Curtis is slowly going mad or having genuine premonitions of disaster.
Armageddon was the theme of 2011 and not in the Roland Emmerich sort of way. Some films, such as Lars Von Trier's Melancholia, dealt with the societal turmoil of the day rather bluntly. Others like Martha Marcy May Marlene and Bellflower, touched upon those topics in an allegorical fashion. This is how Take Shelter unfolds as Curtis's disturbing visions exacerbate problems that will be familiar to anyone. As a working class family, their financial stability and their daughter's health hinges entirely on Curtis being regularly employed. Curtis seeks psychological help, but doesn't go because the expert is too far away and too expensive. Instead, he meets with a counselor at a free clinic. She is willing to help, but clearly overworked and inexperienced.
Michael Shannon gives an absolutely captivating performance. His intensity and unconventional looks are reminiscent of a young Christopher Walken. Much like Walken, Shannon has found a niche in playing severe personalities as evidenced in films like, Revolutionary Road and My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done. He's not a frightening individual in Take Shelter, but an imminently sympathetic one. During a community dinner, Shannon explodes with a rage and fury that is uncomfortable and tragic without being over the top. At his side is the ubiquitous Jessica Chastain, who truly broke out in 2011 with a slew of appearances including her Oscar nominated role in The Help. She played the loving wife to a turbulent husband previously in Terrence Malick's masterpiece, The Tree of Life. However, her role in here is far less ethereal, allowing Chastain to really stretch her acting muscles. There's an unwavering sense of compassion and devotion for her husband that makes Samantha the heart of the picture. Praise should also go to Shea Whigham, an actor more known for playing henchmen.
Your opinion of Take Shelter may hinge on the abrupt and ambiguous ending that feels ripped from a classic episode of The Twilight Zone. It's hard to delve deeper without spoilers other than to say it is a scene that will be widely discussed on podcasts and message boards for years to come. What I can say is Take Shelter is a deeply moving psychological drama with two powerhouse performances from Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain. This was one of my favorite films from 2011.
Rating: *** ½ (*****)
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