TAKE SHELTER

Jan 18, 2012 at 2:00pm + 7:30pm

(USA, 2011 – Rated 14A – 120 min)
Directed by Jeff Nichols
Cast: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham

Click to Watch Movie Trailer.

A Special Presentation at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival®, Take Shelter is a darkly compelling, domestic drama-cum-psychological thriller set in the rural American heartland. Propelled by the mes¬merizing performance of Michael Shannon (Machine Gun Preacher, Revolutionary Road) as a young husband and father plagued by apocalyptic visions, writer-director Jeff Nichols crafts a haunting and powerful film.

Curtis LaForche (Shannon) lives in a small town in Ohio with his wife, Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and their six-year-old, hearing impaired daughter Hannah. When Curtis begins to have terrifying dreams, he keeps the visions to himself, channeling his anxiety into obsessively building a storm shelter in his backyard.

His seemingly inexplicable behaviour concerns and confounds those closest to him, but the resulting strain on his marriage and tension within his community can’t compare with Curtis’s privately held fear of what his dreams may truly signify.
Using tone and atmosphere to chilling effect – from the glowering skies and forlorn landscapes, to the ominous chords of the soundtrack and unnerving special effects – Nichols masterfully creates an aura of unease. Together with Shannon’s perfor¬mance, Take Shelter is a disquieting tale for our times that is both deeply unsettling as it is unforgettable.

“The story of a man afflicted with fearful visions, Take Shelter is a film that’s hitting the right apocalyptic trumpet call at the right time.” – Liam Lacy, The Globe and Mail