Year of Release: 2011
Director: Jeff Nichols
Starring: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham, Tova Stewart, Kathy Baker, Katy Mixon Greer, Robert Longstreet, Heather Caldwell
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
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Synopsis and Review
Following his auspicious debut with "Shotgun Stories", writer/director Jeff Nichols released his sophomore feature "Take Shelter" at the Sundance Film Festival of 2011, and later on took the film to the Cannes Film Festival where it won the Critics Week Grand Prize. The film follows the story of a family living in Ohio, where the father, Curtis, starts getting haunting nightmares. He also starts listening and having visions of storms and dark rain, all things he doesn't disclose or share with his wife, Samantha. The family is also dealing with their young daughter's deafness, the isolation that is creating in her, and also trying to find a medical option for her. Custis as a result of the intense dreams and what he has been witnessing, sets in motion a plan to expand the storm shelter he has in the backyard. He also starts isolating himself more and more, and puts his job in jeopardy by using material from the company for personal use. Fearing he may be falling prey to paranoid schizophrenia as was the case with his mother, he goes and visits her to understand more about symptoms, all the while researching more about the ailment itself. He also starts seeing a counselor, since his fears escalate further and further. Samantha and Curtis have an explosive confrontation when she discovers all that is taking place with the shelter, and he later confides in her everything that is taking place. Curtis loses his job when the owner of the company discovers he took the equipment, endangering the business itself, and that also impacts one of his close friends who grows resentful of Curtis' attitude. As Samantha and Curtis seek psychiatric help for him, a tornado sparks all the fears that Curtis has been obsessing about.
"Take Shelter" amply demonstrates Jeff Nichols' ability for powerful storytelling, something he further demonstrated with "Mud", "Midnight Special" and "Loving". He is able to progressively illustrate how Curtis' fears and obsessions start to taint how he lives, his relationships, his professional life, and how they bring to the surface the past, particularly his family life that was forever impacted by mental health issues. Nichols' is also able to create an environment where we, the audience, doesn't really know if Curtis is having premonitions, or if he is indeed losing his mind, and having hallucinations. It's a narrative that flows in a way that is both riveting, but also devastatingly human, since we never know if we're witnessing the unraveling of someone's mental state, or if he is indeed forecasting a terrible disaster. He spends enough time with all these characters to make them grounded in the universe that he has created, with all of them coming across as an embodiment of people living in that area of the country, with their ambitions, challenges, and connections. The story ends up particularly focusing on Curtis' point of view, leaving Samantha's perspective somewhat limited, which is where the narrative could have been further developed, but overall it is peppered with substantial and meaningful details, giving a sense of authenticity to everything that is taking place. The cast is superb, with Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, and Shea Whigham all delivering solid performances. The production team is also effective, particularly David Wingo's score, and Adam Stone's cinematography. It's a solid feature, worth watching.
