> REVIEW
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Take Shelter (2011)
Looks like there’s a storm coming…
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By Matt Arnoldi | November 2011
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Jeff Nichols
In writer/director Jeff Nichols’ Take Shelter, things are going well for working-class ordinary Joe, Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon). He has a steady dependable job at the rural Ohio refinery, with his boss ready to give him greater responsibility. At home, he has a devoted wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain), and together they’re raising their young deaf daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart). True harmony.
That, however, doesn’t last long as soon Curtis starts to harbour strange thoughts, like what if the family dog goes mental and wants to attack Hannah? He doesn’t take the risk and banishes the poor pooch to a kennel outside.
Things get progressively worse for Curtis when he goes outside and sees a myriad of dark storm clouds forming, only in Curtis’ premonitions its droplets of oil falling from the sky rather than rain. Recurrent nightmares of a natural disaster quickly follow.
So, does Curtis possess some sort of sixth sense or could it be a sign of dementia, given his mother suffered from schizophrenia? If he is starting to go mad, maybe the family will need protecting from him.
Curtis starts digging up the back garden looking to build a big shelter which will be stocked with tinned supplies (a way of changing his diet perhaps considering scrambled eggs get offered at virtually every mealtime) in a bid to beat the coming apocalypse. And just in case he’s really losing his marbles, he goes to see a shrink.
In an interview, director Jeff Nichols said ‘anxiety is born out of having something to lose’ and went on to describe how in 2008, in the first year of marriage, things were going positively for him but he still felt something bad was lurking ahead. It left him with a very real sense of fear, and from that Take Shelter was born.
Some will feel Nichols’ film is perhaps too slow and methodical in its pacing, but it takes time to build up tension and looks to show how the problem starts and then gradually develops.
As in Nichols’ first film, the critically-acclaimed Shotgun Stories (2007) which also starred Michael Shannon, Nichols focuses on working-class people living on limited means looking to better their lives. He puts a strong emphasis on coming up with realistic dialogue that deals with the minutiae of daily routines.
It’s this that helps make Take Shelter such a powerfully engaging film. There may be a storm coming or it may all be in Curtis’ head, but Nichols’ manages to keep us guessing while creating emotional scenes that pack a realistic punch.
The ever dependable Michael Shannon is excellent as Curtis. Be he toiling in the garden, working at the mine or awaking from a nightmare, he stretches every sinew in his body, showing palpable beads of sweat that make him truly believable.
Special effects are used sparingly but effectively to play on the leading anxieties in Curtis’ mind, while the clever use of a supporting cast show how Curtis’ relationships with family and friends is put under tremendous strain.
Take Shelter focuses tangibly on how a central breadwinner deals with a growing mental health problem and plays out powerfully through memorable performances. Much to recommend then, despite the scrambled eggs and an ending which some may feel is a cop-out.
Script…………………………………………………………………………………………….
Nichols’ script is consistently realistic, concentrating on dealing with lifes daily
routines while signalling with tension and skill the portent of looming disaster. 4
Direction………………………………………………………………………………………..
Nichols’ direction cleverly combines the natural alongside the unnatural,
conjuring up a disarming mix that is strong on emotional power and disarmingly deceptive in its capture of mental illness. 4
Verdict…………………………………………………………………………………………..
As sure as eggs is eggs, Jeff Nichols’ Sundance hit deftly plays upon emotions and expectations delivering an intriguing take on a possible impending doom. 4
