A gigantic, unstoppable storm is on the horizon. With its immense power, it can destroy and kill. There's only one catch. It's not really there - it's only in your mind. This is the story Jeff Nichols tells in his 2011 film, Take Shelter. For those of you that can remember, Nichols recently released the film Mud, which I reviewed at an earlier time. I gave the film a rave review. But as much as I loved Mud, I loved Take Shelter even more. It's a film with heart and soul that's not afraid to enter a dark part of the human mind.
Take Shelter tells the story of Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon), an everyday blue-collar worker. But there is something that makes him unique. He's a paranoid schizophrenic, experiencing delusions and hallucinations. He has nightmares that make it impossible to sleep, and he has a constant fear that a storm is on the horizon. Keeping his condition a secret from his wife, Samantha (Jessica Chastain), and his deaf daughter, Hannah (Tova Stewart), he begins to expand on the storm shelter in the backyard in order to prepare for the storm. But eventually, his schizophrenia begins to take over his life, and it puts his relationships with his wife, daughter, and friends in danger.
Nichols is clearly a talented director. He makes movies that impact your opinions of the world and get under your skin. His movies are just so real. Take Shelter is no exception. This film succeeds from an original idea, a good script, and phenomenal performances from Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain.
Not only is the idea of making a movie about paranoid schizophrenia unique, so is the way the story is told. Not only do you know what Curtis is going through, you see it and hear it through his eyes and ears. Like Curtis, you see the storm. You see the motor-oil rain. You hear the distant thunder. It's up for you the viewer to decide if what your seeing is real or just another dream or hallucination. Just like the character, you have a hard time distinguishing between fantasy and reality. You are put into the shoes of a paranoid schizophrenic, and its quite the experience.
Not only did Nichols direct the film, he wrote it too. The script is just as strong as his directing. It's raw and real. It's easy to follow and the story he lays out is simply spellbinding. You fall into the world Nichols creates and you don't leave until the credits start rolling up. Not only does he create a realistic world, he also creates a great set of characters. While the words on the script make the characters, its the actors in this film that flesh them out.
Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain take this movie by the horns and ride it into success. Shannon does a superb job of playing a paranoid schizophrenic whose main concern is his family. You can see all of the emotional stress he's under in every shot of the movie. He does a particularly great job in the scene where he warns members of the community of the impending storm. He balances somewhere between a crazed madman and a concern family-man under a lot of stress - and it works well. It's hard to rise to Shannon's performance, but Jessica Chastain does a fine job herself. She masters a wide array of emotions. Her performance as the wife carrying the weight of her deaf daughter and her schizophrenic husband on her shoulders is masterful. I can't rave enough about these two performances these actors give in the film.
Take Shelter is a phenomenal work of cinematic art. Like Mud, it's a small film with a big heart. But also like Mud, it has a slightly unsatisfying ending. Like the ending of Inception, this movie ends with the audience just guessing as to what happens with the characters. It's an ambiguous ending. Generally, I don't like ambiguous endings. But if done well, and if it makes sense for the story, then they work. This is a case where the ending works, even if it doesn't satisfy. Overall, Take Shelter is a great psychological drama-thriller that is well worth a watch. You'll be captivated from beginning to end, and chances are you'll be thinking about the ending for some time after the credits finish rolling.
RATING: 5 / 5
This movie is rated R (some language)
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