Dir: Jeff Nichols
Starring: Michael
Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham
Curtis
is a family man who works in construction. His daughter is deaf and the family
gets by on his wage and what his wife brings in through boot sales and sewing
work. Curtis starts to have nightmares and delusions surrounding an apocalyptic
storm which he fears will come true. He
decides to renovate the storm shelter in his back yard, a decision which
threatens to tear his family apart.
Michael
Shannon turns in an impressive performance of a man on the edge, in danger of
snapping at any time. He is a man who cares deeply for his wife and daughter;
they are the reasons he starts to build the shelter, to protect them when the
storm comes. However, his decision to work on the shelter creates rifts in his
family as he spends more and more money on it, money which they do not have. Curtis
starts to alienate those around him as his dreams include his wife and friend
attacking him. He is unable to deal with the life like dreams and as such
becomes cold and distant to those around him. The film shows how the people
around him cope with his change in behaviour and with what appears to be the
onset of a mental illness which will change his and their lives. It comes to a head
in a scene where Curtis shouts at assembled members of the community, his
frustration and fear about his mind boiling over at people who now look at him
differently.
We find
out that Curtis’s mother is living in assisted care as she was diagnosed with
paranoid schizophrenia in her mid thirties. Curtis is worried that he too has
the same condition and he tries to get help while keeping it from his family.
The film plays with the ambiguity of Curtis’s state of mind for much of its
running time. Is he actually seeing prophetic visions of the future or is it
all in his mind? Unfortunately the film gives an answer to this with an ending
which can be seen as disappointing.
The
film suffers from being too long and as such starts to drag at points. It seems
to have two endings, one of which seemingly comes from nowhere but would create
a satisfying end point but then the film carries on into another which is
unsatisfactory and perhaps drives credibility too far.
Take Shelter is a film which holds some
interesting points about mental illness and the people who cope with it, both
those with the illness and those around them. It features some good
performances but unfortunately is hampered by a bloated running time and
troublesome endings.
3 out of 5 Buttons
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