Film Reviews

Take Shelter

• Rating:
• Director: Jeff Nichols
• Starring: Jessica Chastain
• Details: US / 120 Mins (TBC)

A fascinating, uniquely executed tale of a man's descent into what very well be a mental breakdown, Take Shelter's ambiguous tone will keep you guessing throughout. Boasting a great lead turn from Michael Shannon, its innovative approach to a touchy subject is also admirable.
Shannon is a regular blue collar sort, Curtis, who has seemingly lucked out with his life thus far. While hardly rich financially, he has a beautiful, supportive wife and daughter who adore him. But when Curtis begins having disturbing dreams of an impending storm, we learn that his mother was hospitalised when she was around his age for paranoid schizophrenia. Sure that what he's experiencing is real, his visions gradually begin to affect his everyday life and that of his family.
Writer and director Nichols deserves massive credit for not only his skilful handling of the tricky core material, but also for his careful direction of the cast. Every performance is spot on; consistency is key and if anyone goes tonally in a different direction then the whole production could derail. Take Shelter takes its time, because it wants you to know Curtis, and understand what he's going through. This is a character who is essentially a good man; he takes care of his family and every decision he makes (at least initially) appears to be the right one. So when proceedings escalate you're fully on board.
Where 'Shelter' fails somewhat is the running time. You're ready for things to be wrapped about a good 15 minutes before they do, and that's a sure sign a film has outstayed its welcome. That said, it's then that the relationship between (the increasingly impressive) Chastain and Shannon gets interesting - as the truth begins to seep through. When the conclusion finally does come around, it does so smartly and effectively - it just could've happened sooner.
Two excellent lead performances and some well handled dramatic elements make Take Shelter more than worth your time.

Review by Mike Sheridan