Film makes audience want to ‘Take Shelter’

By Caitlin Cress

I have to admit, when I started watching the Redbox movie for this week, I was already convinced that I was not going to like it. It was a rainy early morning, and all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. How much attention I ended up paying to “Take Shelter” is really a testament to what an incredible film it is.

“Take Shelter” tells the story of Curtis (Michael Shannon), his wife Samantha (the amazing Jessica Chastain) and their deaf daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart); Curtis starts to suffer from vivid nightmares every night. His dreams show him and the ones around him suffering terribly because of a crazy, apocalyptic storm. The clouds cover the whole sky and the rain is the color of motor oil. Curtis is both convinced that he’s going crazy and concerned that these dreams are premonitions. Much of the tension of the film revolves around that very question: is Curtis crazy? Or is he telling the future?

Shannon’s portrayal of Curtis is mesmerizing. Like I said, I was in no mood to watch such a serious movie this morning, but Shannon changed my mind. Curtis tries to bury his fear and hide it from those around him, and Shannon does a wonderful job of showing the audience just how all-consuming this fear is. When Curtis becomes obsessed with building a tornado shelter for his family, Shannon easily shows Curtis’ conflicting feelings: he knows he is crazy for spending this much time and money on something they’ll probably never use, but he cannot help himself. It is a true shame that Shannon was not nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award for his work in this film.

“Take Shelter” is the third film starring Chastain that I’ve seen in a month, and I have yet to tire of her. She is radiant and amazing, fully embodying each character that she portrays. Her performance as Samantha is no exception. Samantha is completely devoted to her family, especially when it comes to bettering the life of Hannah. Many of her scenes focus on her interacting with the little girl, teaching her new signs and playing with her. The audience would be smart to pay attention to these signs – they become important later in the film. Chastain uses the signs with ease, which shows the care she used when preparing for the role. Samantha works tirelessly to get cochlear implants for her daughter, and when Curtis’ impulses harm the surgery’s possibility, Chastain truly shows Samantha’s rage.

“Take Shelter” is absolutely worth the money and the time. The performances of the lead actors are only two of the highlights that make this film worth watching. The cinematography is beautiful and the script is spare and well-written. Watching the movie before a big rainstorm hits is maybe not the best idea though; you may want to start building a tornado shelter of your own, which is not the most relaxing way to spend an afternoon.