TAKE SHELTER (2011) *** ½

Michael Shannon stars as Curtis, a hardworking family man plagued by apocalyptic visions and horrifying nightmares.  Even when he’s wide awake he feels phantom quakes of thunder and has trouble distinguishing his visions from reality.  Curtis soon becomes obsessed with an abandoned tornado shelter in his backyard and goes to great lengths to prepare it for an impending disaster, much to the dismay of his long-suffering wife (Jessica Chastain).

Schizophrenia runs in Curtis’ family.  Are these visions a sign of onset mental illness?  Or is it a harbinger of something darker, more sinister?  Writer/director Jeff Nichols tantalizes us with the possibilities.  He also resists the temptation to get all biblical on us, which is appreciated (and would’ve probably been too easy).  

Take Shelter is a spellbinding drama.  Nichols deftly captures the visceral feeling of a nightmare and the dream sequences are often quite powerful.  Most movies treat dreams as stylish side jaunts.  Something that looks flashy and helps to pad out the running time.  Nichols uses them to help us understand Curtis’ increasingly fragile mental state so we can sympathize with his unstable decisions.

Nichols probably draws things out a bit too much by the end as the third act sort of dawdles before reaching it’s predictable (but nevertheless well done) conclusion.  As an acting showcase for Shannon and Chastain, it’s quite exhilarating.  Shannon in particular gives a tour de force performance.  The scene where he explodes in front of his neighbors during a fire hall dinner contains some of the best acting he’s ever done.  He also sells the helplessness you feel when you’re trapped in a dream and can’t wake up.  He is equally fine in his domestic scenes with Chastain, who gives a quieter, but no less interesting performance.  Not only do we have to believe Shannon is willing to sacrifice his job, good standing in the community, and potentially his sanity to save his family, we have to believe that Chastain ALMOST believes him too, which is a trick task, and one she pulls off effortlessly.