Take Shelter
Writer & Director: Jeff Nichols
Starring: Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain
Starring: Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain
We all have fears in life, some irrational such as alien abduction and others rational such as being forced to watch the first hour of Transformers: Dark of the Moon again. In Take Shelter, Jeff Nichols provides an atmospheric portrait of 21st century fear and paranoia leading to what is the tensest cinematic experience of 2011 thus far. Starring Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain, the story focuses on Curtis LaForche, a man plagued with visions of an apocalyptic storm leading him to renovate and add to the tornado shelter in his garden. Leading himself and those around him to question his sanity.
Lets just get one thing clear, if Michael Shannon does not get an Oscar nomination for his phenomenal performance in Take Shelter then to quote his character, “A storm will come, unlike anything you have ever seen!” unlike his role in Revolutionary Road (For which he received an Oscar nomination) Curtis Laforche is for the majority of Take Shelter akin to nature. His performance bubbles under the surface, seemingly calm yet concealing a rage and destruction, which could explode any second without warning. Shannon carries Take Shelter and there is no doubt that this film needed a performance of this caliber in order to be the film that it is.
The fact that Curtis keeps his struggles so internal for the large majority of the film, refusing to let even those who are closest to him into his mind, means that Shannon is given the task of having to portray a man who is both losing his grip on reality whilst also acting desperately to still be presentable as a part of it. Shannon’s subtlety means that when Curtis finally does boil over, the scene is even more effective. As in the space of a minute or less Shannon is able to scare you more than anything else on screen this year and then tear your heart out as he tries to subdue an emotional breakdown.
While I could easily write an entire review about Shannon’s performance, there are other aspects, which contribute to the quality of Take Shelter. One of which is the direction of Jeff Nichols. For a film of its stature the special effects work in Take Shelter is both impressive in its authenticity but also economical in its use. The storm/dream sequences never look cheap and yet those sequences or the film never feels effects driven.
While the Oscar category for VFX will most likely (deservedly) be dominated by the likes of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Transformers: Dark of the Moon etc. the budget of this film to those is (most likely) incomparable and therefore the fact that Take Shelter’s effects work never feels amateur in comparison is an achievement, while Nichols deserves kudos for the way in which he grounds the effects within the naturalistic tone of the rest of the film. Nichols also builds an atmosphere deliciously, combining the chillingly effective David Wingo score, with some beautiful yet foreboding imagery in order to construct eerily memorable images and sequences.
Take Shelter is a film with pervasive tension and ambiguity, frequently throwing you off guard and being the most genuinely unique and unpredictable film I have seen all year. While the film’s trailer is positioning it as a thriller, Take Shelter has effective emotional drama as well as subtle social commentary. Most of the emotion in the film is supplied through the superb supporting performance of Jessica Chastain. As Curtis’s wife, Chastain could have easily provided a rather one note performance, however despite the role seeming initially thankless, the quality of Chastain’s performance means that the character becomes so much more effective than most actresses could make her.
While the main fear of Curtis is his apocalyptic visions, multiple feelings of unease and insecurity surround the main thrust of the narrative. As Curtis and those around him grow frustrated and insecure with their economic, marital and health circumstance, it becomes clear that writer/director Nichols is looking to provide more than a straight up thriller. It is subtle social commentary however that never intrudes the films main proceedings nor feels like a lecture but instead supplies an extra layer of thematic depth that complements the tone of the rest of the piece.
All these elements, the performances, score, cinematography, effects, tone all escalate into what it is a nail biting climax. The final fifteen to twenty minutes had my heart beating faster than it has watching any film this year and left me genuinely and at times fearfully clueless about what was going to happen next. The films final movement is so riveting that it actually had me breathe a sigh of relief. The film’s ending is one that is sure to divide many viewers and is akin to the ending of a recent Coen Brothers film (To indicate which film in particular would give away too much due to the similarity of the endings) However personally I found the ending to be thought-provoking, chilling and a perfect note upon which to end the film.
Take Shelter is a film that I feel I need to see again now knowing the nature of its narrative. I feel a firmer grasp of the meaning of the conclusion and a greater appreciation of the films emotional elements and performances would be a reward for doing so. The main flaw of Take Shelter is its slow pace, which is highlighted by an overly long running time. At two hours this is a film, which does drag in certain spots, and the story at hand does not warrant a running time of such length. A slightly shorter running time would benefit the overall flow and therefore effectiveness of the film as while the running time builds up to something stellar, you do wonder whether it needed to take as long as it did to get there. This slow pace and running time is what made me admire, rather than love Take Shelter.
Overall Take Shelter is the tensest, most unique and unpredictable film of 2011. It has what is arguably the performance of the year from Michael Shannon and an ambiguous conclusion that deserves the same levels of discussion granted to Inception’s ending last year. Chastain’s supporting emotional anchor and Nichols subtle social commentary provides plenty of potential meat for multiple viewings as well as an extra layer of emotional and thematic depth. An unnecessarily long running time and a slow pace is all that holds this film back on the Fujita scale.
Lets just get one thing clear, if Michael Shannon does not get an Oscar nomination for his phenomenal performance in Take Shelter then to quote his character, “A storm will come, unlike anything you have ever seen!” unlike his role in Revolutionary Road (For which he received an Oscar nomination) Curtis Laforche is for the majority of Take Shelter akin to nature. His performance bubbles under the surface, seemingly calm yet concealing a rage and destruction, which could explode any second without warning. Shannon carries Take Shelter and there is no doubt that this film needed a performance of this caliber in order to be the film that it is.
The fact that Curtis keeps his struggles so internal for the large majority of the film, refusing to let even those who are closest to him into his mind, means that Shannon is given the task of having to portray a man who is both losing his grip on reality whilst also acting desperately to still be presentable as a part of it. Shannon’s subtlety means that when Curtis finally does boil over, the scene is even more effective. As in the space of a minute or less Shannon is able to scare you more than anything else on screen this year and then tear your heart out as he tries to subdue an emotional breakdown.
While I could easily write an entire review about Shannon’s performance, there are other aspects, which contribute to the quality of Take Shelter. One of which is the direction of Jeff Nichols. For a film of its stature the special effects work in Take Shelter is both impressive in its authenticity but also economical in its use. The storm/dream sequences never look cheap and yet those sequences or the film never feels effects driven.
While the Oscar category for VFX will most likely (deservedly) be dominated by the likes of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Transformers: Dark of the Moon etc. the budget of this film to those is (most likely) incomparable and therefore the fact that Take Shelter’s effects work never feels amateur in comparison is an achievement, while Nichols deserves kudos for the way in which he grounds the effects within the naturalistic tone of the rest of the film. Nichols also builds an atmosphere deliciously, combining the chillingly effective David Wingo score, with some beautiful yet foreboding imagery in order to construct eerily memorable images and sequences.
Take Shelter is a film with pervasive tension and ambiguity, frequently throwing you off guard and being the most genuinely unique and unpredictable film I have seen all year. While the film’s trailer is positioning it as a thriller, Take Shelter has effective emotional drama as well as subtle social commentary. Most of the emotion in the film is supplied through the superb supporting performance of Jessica Chastain. As Curtis’s wife, Chastain could have easily provided a rather one note performance, however despite the role seeming initially thankless, the quality of Chastain’s performance means that the character becomes so much more effective than most actresses could make her.
While the main fear of Curtis is his apocalyptic visions, multiple feelings of unease and insecurity surround the main thrust of the narrative. As Curtis and those around him grow frustrated and insecure with their economic, marital and health circumstance, it becomes clear that writer/director Nichols is looking to provide more than a straight up thriller. It is subtle social commentary however that never intrudes the films main proceedings nor feels like a lecture but instead supplies an extra layer of thematic depth that complements the tone of the rest of the piece.
All these elements, the performances, score, cinematography, effects, tone all escalate into what it is a nail biting climax. The final fifteen to twenty minutes had my heart beating faster than it has watching any film this year and left me genuinely and at times fearfully clueless about what was going to happen next. The films final movement is so riveting that it actually had me breathe a sigh of relief. The film’s ending is one that is sure to divide many viewers and is akin to the ending of a recent Coen Brothers film (To indicate which film in particular would give away too much due to the similarity of the endings) However personally I found the ending to be thought-provoking, chilling and a perfect note upon which to end the film.
Take Shelter is a film that I feel I need to see again now knowing the nature of its narrative. I feel a firmer grasp of the meaning of the conclusion and a greater appreciation of the films emotional elements and performances would be a reward for doing so. The main flaw of Take Shelter is its slow pace, which is highlighted by an overly long running time. At two hours this is a film, which does drag in certain spots, and the story at hand does not warrant a running time of such length. A slightly shorter running time would benefit the overall flow and therefore effectiveness of the film as while the running time builds up to something stellar, you do wonder whether it needed to take as long as it did to get there. This slow pace and running time is what made me admire, rather than love Take Shelter.
Overall Take Shelter is the tensest, most unique and unpredictable film of 2011. It has what is arguably the performance of the year from Michael Shannon and an ambiguous conclusion that deserves the same levels of discussion granted to Inception’s ending last year. Chastain’s supporting emotional anchor and Nichols subtle social commentary provides plenty of potential meat for multiple viewings as well as an extra layer of emotional and thematic depth. An unnecessarily long running time and a slow pace is all that holds this film back on the Fujita scale.
Summary
Michael Shannon provides the thunder, Jessica Chastain the rain and Jeff Nichols the fog in what is the year’s most ambiguous, atmospheric, unique and unpredictable film.
Rating: 9-/10
By Movie Parliament Prime Minister- Michael Dalton
Disagree with this review? Tell us your opinion of Take Shelter in the Your Say section
To see what our Minister for Foreign Affairs, Arnaud Trouve thought about Take Shelter click here
Rating: 9-/10
By Movie Parliament Prime Minister- Michael Dalton
Disagree with this review? Tell us your opinion of Take Shelter in the Your Say section
To see what our Minister for Foreign Affairs, Arnaud Trouve thought about Take Shelter click here
Your Say
Mindy Arbo says "i find your review well done except for the concept that he is losing his grip on reality.
i would say that he is worried and questioning whether or not he is losing his grip on reality."
i would say that he is worried and questioning whether or not he is losing his grip on reality."
