Take Shelter (2011)

Directed by: Jeff Nichols | 120 minutes | drama, thriller | Actors: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Tova Stewart, Shea Whigham, Katy Mixon, Natasha Randall, Ron Kennard, Scott Knisley, Robert Longstreet, Heather Caldwell, Sheila Hullihen

Schizophrenia and other forms of mental illness have always been rewarding subjects for movies. In the past, a large number of film classics were released in which mental illness and the resulting delusions of the main character were central. For example, in the film ‘Fight Club’ (1999), Brad Pitt played the character of Tyler Durden, who had great difficulty separating his own world from reality. Two years later, ‘A Beautiful Mind’ appeared in which this time it was actor Russell Crowe who played John Nash, who suffered from severe schizophrenia. And quite recently we saw Leonardo Di Caprio in ‘Shutter Island’ (2010) play the role of Teddy Daniels, a former soldier who, due to a number of traumatic experiences, also had to be admitted to an institution with delusions. With ‘Take Shelter’, another film appears in which the schizophrenia of the main character, in this case the Curtis played by actor Michael Shannon, and the resulting delusions are central.

Of these three films, ‘Take Shelter’ bears the most resemblance to ‘A Beautiful Mind’, but let there be no misunderstanding: ‘Take Shelter’ is by no means a far cry from any of the above titles. The film has more than enough identity of its own and is original enough to avoid direct comparisons with these three classics. Curtis is a family man, married to Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and has a young, deaf daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart). When Curtis has some frightening dreams, in which a huge storm pops up and things go wrong, he thinks this is a harbinger of things to come. In order to be optimally prepared for this, he decides to renovate the old air-raid shelter in the garden. Curtis doesn’t seem to care that everyone thinks he is crazy and this is at the expense of his family, his work and the savings for medical care for his daughter.

There are many aspects that make ‘Take Shelter’ an above average film, but the biggest plus is the atmosphere. Especially in the first part, when Curtis’ nightmares become more and more gripping, the tension is continuously palpable. It goes so far that you are happy when Curtis goes back to sleep through his medication and you as a viewer do not have to experience his nightmares every time. There seems to be a constant threat. Curtis’s recurring visions of extreme weather effects and impending thunderstorms also add to the tension. In addition, the acting is very strong; Michael Shannon knows how to portray Curtis’ character very convincingly. As a viewer, like everyone else in the film itself, you don’t know what to think of him, is he crazy or not? But Samantha is also well portrayed by Jessica Chastain and, because of her genuine goodness and her enormous concern, she is certainly the most likeable character in the film. The addition of a deaf daughter makes the whole thing even more dramatic and the interaction with the daughter is nicely done.

For some people ‘Take Shelter’ will be a bit too slow, so the pace of the film is quite slow. Yet this is not disturbing at all. Also in the second part of the film, when Chris slowly starts spinning, the film continues to fascinate. You might say that ‘Take Shelter’ weakens a bit towards the end and the climax isn’t that great, but the very nice closing scene makes up for it and will make you think about it for a long time after seeing the film. . Director Jeff Nichols, who is still completely new to the profession except for a few small productions, delivers a fine film with ‘Take Shelter’. The combination of tension, drama and a beautiful story makes ‘Take Shelter’ a wonderful experience.