Michael Shannon plays Curtis, a working class construction worker married to Samantha (Jessica Chastain) with a young daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart) who is hearing impaired. Curtis is an ordinary guy who begins to have haunting dreams and visions which become apocalyptic and they develop into premonitions of a devastating storm. The twist is that mental illness runs in his family, his mother diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at the age of 30, and so from the start of the visions we are unsure if what he is seeing are indeed prophetic or if, as Curtis suspects, they are symptoms of the onset of the disease.
What is truly refreshing with this tense drama is the fact that Curtis is an everyday man who has everyday problems, just like us, and he deals with the visions in a realistic manner to start with, visiting a doctor and a counsellor to attempt to get to the root of the problem. It is this level of realism that allows the audience to become completely absorbed by the terrifying predicament, the level of horror escalated tenfold by the believability of the situation. As always Shannon is astounding, offering a vulnerable and moving portrayal of a man struggling to comprehend what is happening to himself. The scene where Curtis wakes up to find he has wet the bed is particularly powerful, Shannon depicting a man slowing losing control in a subtle and poignant way.
The ambiguity throughout the film ensures that it is gripping and tense for the duration and keeps the audience active. The acting is brilliant, Chastain confirms herself as an exciting new presence in Hollywood, her interpretation of a wife deeply concerned for her husband is convincing and believable. We see how she struggles to deal with Curtis’ ever declining mental state but at the same time she remains compassionate and caring, clearly loving her husband. Shannon’s Boardwalk Empire co-star Shea Whigham plays Curtis’ good friend and co-worker Dewart who shows his concern in his face, never articulating as much as his expressions on his face reveal.
The most memorable scene in the film is that when Curtis has built his storm shelter in the family’s garden and insists his wife and daughter take shelter with him as the storm approaches. It is incredibly tense, Curtis remaining on the very edge of unhinged, we never know what his actions may be as he forces his family to wear gas masks to save them from the apocalypse. We are also not sure if the storm exists or not, and as Curtis opens the door the following morning I was on the edge of my seat with him, willing it to not be a figment of his imagination. Chastain is brilliant in this scene, showing fear and careful persuasion as she gently coaxes her husband to open the door. This is tense filmmaking at its very best.
The film is shot beautifully, subtle computer generated imagery convincingly depicting Curtis’ visions of the approaching storm. Gorgeous landscape shots complement the tense emotional atmosphere and provide contemplative instances. Not only does Take Shelter deal with contemporary issues of the fear of natural disasters but the family’s money problems are relevant and identifiable due to the recent recession, adding to this multi-levelled drama/horror.
This is an intelligent American indie film with a tour de force central performance, as well as a superb supporting cast, that will immediately draw you in and keep you deeply captivated throughout. The ending may not be for everyone but I thought it was a suitable conclusion. This is a powerful and gripping film featuring one of the strongest actors working in film today.
Take Shelter is out in cinemas on 25th November 2011.
Film Rating: 9/10
