Review of Take Shelter (2011) by Doctor S — 10 Feb 2013

Haunting, poignant, and beautifully filmed, Take Shelter features stellar performances from Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain in the story of an ordinary working man who begins to have dreams and visions of an impending weather catastrophe.

Since he mother was committed for schizophrenia, Curtis is unsure whether or not his visions are truly some sort of prognostication or whether they merely hallucinations brought on by a burgeoning mental illness.

Despite his uncertainty, Curtis begins obsessively building an elaborate storm shelter. The film will keep the viewer guessing until the very end as its develops into a story about the lines between sanity and insanity as well as the bonds that tie us together despite our inability to communicate effectively with one another, an inability literalized in the deafness of the couple's daughter.

A film about love, faith, angst, and madness, Take Shelter recalls Peter Weir's The Last Wave in certain ways but is certainly an original and thought-provoking piece of cinema.