TAKE SHELTER

    SUMMARY               

Curtis LaForche (Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon; Revolutionary Road) lives a simple life in a small Ohio town with his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain; The Tree Of Life) and young daughter Hannah. When Curtis begins having terrifying dreams about an apocalyptic storm, he believes his visions signal a disaster. Channelling his anxiety into the obsessive building of a shelter in their backyard, Curtis also recognises the possibility that what he is dreaming and seeing may be entirely inside his head. As his increasingly intense experiences put a strain on his marriage, personal friendships and work, Curtis has to decide whether his family needs protection from a coming storm, or protection from himself. 

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DAVE G'S TAKE SHELTER REVIEW:

Take note M. Night Shyamalan (The Last Airbender, The Happening) if you hadn’t of lost your way over the last few years then you would be making films like Take Shelter… actually given the brilliance of your early career, you should be making films this good. Yes, that’s right Take Shelter is a brilliant film for those that don’t mind there films a little slow and a little left of centre.

Curtis (Michael Shannon – Machine Gun Preacher, The Broken Tower) and Samantha (Jessica Chastain – The Help, The Tree Of Life) are just your average, everyday couple. Curtis works for a drilling company, Samantha works from home and they both love and care for their deaf daughter, Hannah (newcomer – Tova Stewart). However, things begin to change when Curtis starts to premonitions of a giant storm (with tornadoes) heading their way. Positive that it is about to come true he begins to ‘add-on-to’ an old storm shelter at the back of their house. However, when people begin to judge him, including his friend, Dewart (Shea Whigham – This Must Be The Place, Lincoln Lawyer) Curtis realises that it may not be a message a God but rather the early symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia, from which his mother also suffered.

Director/screenwriter, Jeff Nichols has followed up his brilliant debut film, Shotgun Stories with a film that deserves all the praise it can get. Take Shelter is an absolute gem that totally captivates you. Nichols script really has you wondering whether Curtis is going crazy or whether he really is receiving messages from God. Nichols really understands suspense and when (if you’ve seen the film you’ll know what I mean) Curtis is about to open the storm-cellars’ door you really do wonder what you are about to see in front of you. Nichols’ characters are beautifully written and you really do start to feel for Curtis, Samantha and Hannah… and this only adds to the suspense of the story.

 The other thing that Nichols needs to be congratulated about is the way that he has written Curtis’ premonitions. Each one of them is well crafted and original, and it is clear that the special effects team loved what they had to work with… the birds falling out of the sky are a standout.

Michael Shannon really does step-up from his performance in My Son, My Son What Have Ye Done. In Take Shelter Shannon is at the top of his game, his performance is faultless and the scene in which he confronts and warns the town’s people of what is coming shows that he is worthy of an Oscar nomination. He is also well-supported by Jessica Chastain who is on a role with fine performances at the moment. Together Shannon and Chastain play a believable couple and both need to be congratulated for their work. Newcomer, Tova Stewart also shows that she is somebody that should be listed as a future star.

Take Shelter is a terrific film that keeps you guessing from start to finish. Beautifully written and directed this is one of the best films you are likely to see in 2011.

RATING:- *****  (out of 5)

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