Over the past couple of years, the end-of-the-world theme in movies has attained great levels of prominence. But as audiences grow tired of large-scale, vapid, computer graphic-laden disaster flicks (think Roland Emmerich), up-and-coming indie director and writer Jeff Nichols puts a different spin on a stale genre.
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On the surface, "Take Shelter" may appear to be an apocalyptic film with ominous visuals of freakish natural phenomena. But at the core of Nichols' film is the story of a man terrified of losing everything he loves and struggling to maintain strength and stability.
The movie's protagonist, Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon), lives a pretty good life. He enjoys a decent living as a construction worker and a loving relationship with his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and his deaf six-year-old daughter Hannah. But when Curtis starts having petrifying, disturbing dreams of an impending storm, his whole life starts to fall apart.
Nichols transports us from Curtis' real life into his dark, horrific visions, in which a catastrophic storm drives once-familiar entities to lash out and violently attack Curtis and his family. Terrified of the impending storm and the perils it may bring, Curtis obsessively begins to build a storm shelter in his backyard. But when Curtis escapes town to visit his mother, a patient at a mental hospital, the film's perplexing mystery emerges. Curtis starts to realize he may be experiencing the onset of paranoid schizophrenia, just as his mother did years ago.
Shannon, best known for his Oscar-nominated role in "Revolutionary Road," is utterly outstanding as Curtis. As he shields his inner terror from his wife and trembles at the thought of having a mental illness, we cannot help but immerse ourselves in the character's emotional turmoil. At the same time, Chastain continues to prove herself to be a remarkable actress, carrying out her role with realism and cogent sentiment. Shannon and Chastain's interactions carry such poignancy that "Take Shelter" cannot be dismissed as just another sci-fi thriller but rather must be acknowledged as a weighty, dramatic manifestation of real-life fears.
"Take Shelter" is an exceptional film not only for its moving performances, but also for its ability to balance tranquil beauty and intense terror. Besides his solid screenplay, Nichols further proves himself as a substantial director with his gorgeous, leisurely shots that alternate between providing a sense of calm and provoking nervous panic and sheer horror. Despite the lack of graphic violence, the perturbing dream sequences in the film are commendable for their frightening intensity. It is both exciting and invigorating to sit through a film that offers powerful emotions, serene interludes and terrifying jolts throughout its entirety.
