TAKE SHELTER: Starring Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain and Kathy Baker. Directed by Jeff Nichols. 123 minutes. Rated M (Mature themes, violence and coarse language).
Reviewed by Peter W Sheehan
THIS is a striking and thought-provoking film.
On the one hand, there is a “realistic” story about a man and his family, their ordinary lives at home, the man and his work and his prospects.
On the other hand, there is far more, as the film goes into the man’s mind, his imagination, his dreams as he discovers mental torment and premonitions about an apocalyptic threat.
The ending does not set everything out like the solution of a problem, but leaves the audience pondering what they have seen and what it might mean.
Michael Shannon has shown he can do torment, madness as well as malice in quite a number of films, frightening in such films as Bug, World Trade Center, puzzling and threatening in My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done and Revolutionary Road (for which he received an Oscar nomination).
His is ideal casting for this strange “Everyman”, Curtis, in today’s or tomorrow’s US mid-West.
Curtis is overwhelmed by his nightmares as well as his visions of swarming birds, spectacular lightning, looming tornado clouds.
His mother was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia when she was in her mid-30s and Curtis is now afraid for himself and of himself.
He does not hear voices.
He sees visions.
He behaves erratically, symbolised by his getting his workmate to help him excavate a giant hole for a shelter against the tornado he continually sees coming.
This costs him his job, his reputation, his friends.
While it puzzles his wife and daughter, his wife is a strong woman, coping practically with the crises and showing that marriage can truly mean for better or worse.
She is played by Jessica Chastain who is proving herself a substantial actress in varied roles (The Help, Tree of Life, The Debt).
His young daughter is deaf, which leads to some powerful scenes with mother and father learning how to communicate with her as well as help her during the storm.
What is happening to this basically good man?
He visits his mother in an institution.
His brother comes, concerned about him. He seeks counselling and psychiatric help.
With the apocalyptic images and a powerfully ranting speech that Curtis makes to bewildered friends and colleagues at a company lunch, there is quite a deal to ponder about images of the end of the world and a coming catastrophe.
This has already led some reviewers to think about the film as a symbolic story of America in the grip of global financial meltdown, of jobs and wages, of unemployment, of the fragile state of the American psyche.
All are themes worth reflecting on – as well as the literal refuge in the shelter that Curtis builds and equips and the symbolic warning of impending disasters.
Peter W Sheehan is an associate of the Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting.
