Take Shelter

Heavy paranoia in a film completely different from the mainstream, both in the management of the actors, the grouping of the mise-en-scene and the concept of the script (the unpredictability!). The calm before the storm is impressive though extremely viewer-unfriendly (I would compare it to something along the lines of nails scratching a blackboard). It’s completely out of time and space, and thanks to the small-town redneck feel at every turn, you don't know if the film is set in the present day or 20 years ago. An interesting low-budget film and Michael Shannon is a first-rate psychopath. (26/09/2015)

A decent psychological drama that relies on two excellent performances. Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon are superb, but is that enough? Not for me. The main character suffers from apocalyptic dreams about an impending disaster and decides to build an atomic shelter, even though no one believes him and he is considered crazy. The visions are decent, although they don't show them graphically they only speak about them, and I consider that a minus. Not much happens in the film, but it's not boring, which is positive. However, the expected pay off at the end doesn't come and that is almost unforgivable. I could have endured another twenty minutes calmly if they had come up with something bigger, but that's only in a dream. It's not bad, but a bit unsatisfying for me. Story****, Action>No, Humor>No, Violence>No, Entertainment***, Music***, Visual***, Atmosphere****, Tension*** 6.5/10. (07/02/2021)

A very disturbing drama about an emerging mental disorder (or maybe not exactly, but let’s not anticipate) and the subsequent disintegration of the hitherto quiet family life. Michael Shannon is stunning in the lead role, and Jessica Chastain comes close. Hats off, especially for the character Jessica plays, who, even under the stress of tough life challenges, stays strong and stands patiently and lovingly by her husband. Some of the dream sequences are not far from the realm of horror, and Shannon’s maddened state is very uncomfortable to watch. The whole thing inevitably foreshadows a really unhappy final scene, and makes for a two-hour instant depression treat. [KVIFF 2018] (02/07/2018)

Facing the captivating depths of madness through the thunder in Ohio… Hard to say what to praise more. Whether an unprecedentedly magnificent tangible subliminal tension, Shannon's performance as a true family-based hard worker who realizes that he's almost certainly succumbing to schizophrenia, but "what if he doesn't". The result is the most disturbing, most realistic and, last but not least, by far the best film version of the biblical story of Noah. I have perhaps the only minor complaint related to the conclusion. This is a type of movie that can only end in two ways. And Nichols went the way of being more cinematic and stylish. However, I cannot shake the feeling that the latter would get even more under the skin and would be richer in terms of interpretation. (12/12/2016)

Excellent Sundance fodder that tries to convince the viewer all along with pretty clear direction that the movie isn't so bad and that it will make up for all the hero's setbacks with the final redemption. Which does in fact occur, but it convinces us that Take Shelter is ultimately a heavy bastard anyway. Right from the start, if you look at Michael Shannon (the brilliant Michael Shannon, by the way), a string gets plucked in your diaphragm that the film keeps humming very unpleasantly for two hours. For every minute of the film where someone smiles, or a hint of hope shines in the distance (learning with a deaf-mute daughter, for example) you are incredibly grateful, because that sense of that impending doom is always just around the corner. PS: *SPOILER ALERT* – I accept the argument about the set and spiked ending, which might leave you gaping at the end credits like a moron (I had a very similar experience with Trier's Melancholia), yet forces you to shift gears a bit from a story thus far about the progression of a rising mental illness. (23/04/2012)