 "Stunning! Already being called an American Masterpiece." - John Lopez, VANITY FAIR When Curtis (Michael Shannon) begins having nightmares of an encroaching, apocalyptic storm, he refrains from telling his wife, Samantha (Jessica Chastain). To protect her and their six-year-old deaf daughter Hannah, Curtis stars focusing his anxiety and money into the obsessive building of a storm shelter. While Hannah's healthcare and special needs education has resulted in financial struggle, Curtis' seemingly inexplicable behavior concerns Samantha and provokes intolerance among co-workers, friends and neighbors. However, the resulting strain on his marriage and tension within the community doesn't compare to Curtis' private fear of what his disturbing dreams may truly signify. Cast Notes: Michael Shannon (Curtis), Jessica Chastain (Samantha), Tova Stewart (Hannah), Shea Whigham (Dewart), Katy Mixon (Nat), Natasha Randall (Cammie), Ron Kennard (Russell), Scott Knisley (Lewis), Robert Longstreet (Jim), Heather Caldwell (Special Ed Teacher), Sheila Hullihen (Woman in Road), John Kloock (Man in Road), Marianna Alacchi (Bargain Hunter), Jacque Jovic (News Anchor), Bob Maines (Walter Jacobs). User Comment: *** This review may contain spoilers *** emilysforster from United States, 6 February 2011 • Fear is the driving force for most of humanity, whether we choose to admit it or not. We fear financial distress, health problems, losing the people we love, and even bad weather. Fear grips our ability to function properly, to mentally process right and wrong, and to keep hold of the things we cherish most. Fear is the ring-leader in our circus of life. Take Shelter is an exposition of how fear can rule and ruin our lives. In this film, Curtis, played by Michael Shannon, succumbs to his greatest fear of "the storm" that is coming. Curtis begins dreaming of a horrific storm that not only takes his life but the lives of those he loves. This storm is almost depicted as an end-times, natural disaster. Curtis' dream becomes all-consuming for him as it starts impacting not only his sleep, but his life during the day. It is the fear of the dream becoming a reality that drives Curtis over the edge. Because of this, his job, finances, relationships, and marriage are all affected. This film is so much more than just the average apocalyptic, fear-fest. Take Shelter also portrays the commitment and faithfulness of marriage during a time of extreme doubt and confusion. It is beautifully portrayed how and why Samantha (Curtis' wife) stays so committed to her husband, even after he has given her plenty of reasons to leave. In a culture where over 40% of marriages end in divorce, this film speaks profoundly against that percentage. It is a refreshing experience to see the storms of marriage overcome by the vow of commitment. This film could quite possibly stir up a new statistic…and I think that would do the world some good. Summary: Review for Take Shelter. User Comment: *** This review may contain spoilers *** szulc-adam from United Kingdom, 5 February 2011 • Take Shelter could be easily renamed to something like Anxieties of living in the 21st Century Western Country. It showcases a rich pallet of phobias, from fear of financial instability, job loss, to anxiety about upcoming environmental apocalypse. Curtis (flawlessly played by Michael Shannon) begins having dreams and visions of bad things happening to him and his family and so he decides to build a huge shelter in his backyard where they can all seek refuge in case any of his dreams were to come true. But following his instincts comes at a price – he loses his job, takes out unstable loan from a bank and destroys his deaf daughter's only chance to undergo a surgery to restore her hearing. The dreams drive Curtis into insanity as he mirrors his behaviour with what once happened to his mother, a victim of schizophrenia. The moment Curtis admits to himself and to others that he might be going insane, the apocalypse does arrive and so everyone else is forced to agree that something bad was on its way all along. Take Shelter is a very contemporary drama, which would not have been made, let's say, ten years ago. The problems the film presents are mostly influenced by the recession, political divide in nowadays America and environmental problems caused by global warming. The director Jeff Nichols finds a perfect balance between building up the multitude of his main character's anxieties and presenting Curtis's struggle in a believable way. He escapes preaching about the presented issues and makes the sole existence of the problems uncertain up until the very last moment. What is most admirable though is that Nichols avoids religious aspects of his apocalypse and keeps it very close to life, making forces of nature the most vengeful and destructive. Take Shelter was a rare jewel among the films presented at Sundance. It was beautifully executed (besides the outstanding performances from the cast, music and pictures are also note-worthy) and felt fresh and exciting. Summary: The real Sundance winner! [CSW] -3.4-. IMDb Rating (02/11/12): 7.8/10 from 7,292 users
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