Take Shelter

By slowly building tension around an everyman tortured by apocalyptic visions, 'Take Shelter' creates it's own unique sub-genre: the disaster movie of the mind. It's part psychological drama, part disaster thriller, and completely compelling.

The hype…
This year 'Take Shelter' stars Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain have been climbing up the Hollywood ladder faster than a turbo-charged window cleaner. With this genre-bending psycho-thriller from up-and-coming director Jeff Nichols, they have every chance of inching closer to that elusive top rung.

The story…
Curtis (Michael Shannon) is a family man and a professional contractor. He lives in the heartlands of the USA and has a happy homelife with wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart). Hannah has been deaf her whole life, but her problems could yet be solved by a groundbreaking medical procedure.

But just as his daughter's life looks set to change for the better, and the pressure of parenting eased for Curtis and Samantha, he starts having some serious nightmares.

They always begin in the same way: with thick, oil-like rain falling from above, and the horizon darkening with ominous storm clouds. Then bad things begin to happen, to Curtis and his young family.

At first he thinks he can ignore the dreams, despite their vivid intensity, but after a while Curtis wonders whether they might be premonitions. Now he has to decide whether to believe in his horrific dreams and plan for the worst, or seek psychiatric help. And he has to decide fast, because the dreams are impacting his daily life in increasingly severe ways.

The breakdown…
It's a strange concept, tracking the apocalyptic visions of an ordinary man as he tries to decide whether he's the reluctant hero in his own disaster flick or another tragic victim of mental illness.

Director Jeff Nichols is at pains to put us in Curtis's shoes too, and it makes the first act of this film utterly terrifying. The initial appearances of these nightmares are so violent and so vivid that you can't help but be drawn in by their gravity.

There's no misunderstanding just how huge an impact they have on this poor, everyday guy, as Nichols displays an impressive arsenal of intelligently deployed effects to create nightmares that would shake even the hardiest of post-apocalyptic heroes - let alone an everyday building contractor.

Having an actor as talented as Shannon helped too. His measured delivery and ability to convey trauma without sinking to shouty melodrama pays dividends in making this story not just believable but compelling.

Chastain's performance as his gentle and understanding wife Samantha is crucial too. The dawning realisation that something is very wrong with her husband comes as a crushing blow, even without grandstanding scenes of domestic drama, and that's largely thanks to her on-screen aura.

There are moments in the second act when the story sags as the seeds Nichols plants early on take a little too long to germinate into fully fledged plot points, and as Curtis is pushed a little too far toward the 'textbook crazy' end of the spectrum. But we are buffeted between viewpoints often enough that the story is never lost completely, and the build-up to the climax is superb... even if the resolution itself could be quite divisive.

The verdict…
A fantastic genre crossover that makes liberal use of its talented cast, clever script and some quality effects, 'Take Shelter' is a slow-burning psychological thriller in a category all of its own. And whether you buy the ending or not, you'll certainly enjoy the ride.

Rating: 4/5

'Take Shelter' is due to be released in the UK on 25 November. Certificate: 15.