Take Shelter

2011

USA

Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols
Cinematography by Adam Stone (director of photography)
Cast: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Kathy Baker, Tova Stewart, Shea Whigham
MPAA Rating: R for some language

Story:
When solid family man Curtis is plagued by a series of hallucinations, delusions and nightmares, all centered around a coming apocalyptic storm, he fears he might be heading down the path to schizophrenia, like his mother before him.  He also becomes obsessed with the idea of restoring an abandoned storm shelter on his property -- an obsession that eventually causes him to lose his job just as his young daughter Hannah (who is deaf) is scheduled for surgery that might allow her to hear normally.  As his strange behavior intensifies, he loses his standing in the community and frightens his wife and daughter.  But still he persists.  Will his determination to finish the shelter save his family or tear it apart?

My Thoughts:
This film has won or been nominated for a LOT of awards (see the list HERE), but I don't believe I'd ever heard of it until I saw it on Encore/Drama last night.   And while I'm not sure I'd agree with the "new American masterpiece" designation, I thought it was a very interesting and well-made little film.  The acting is restrained, the characters seem very real, the dialogue completely natural; the story kept me guessing about Curtis' sanity right up to the end.  And that ending is deliciously ambiguous, open to several different interpretations (won't say more -- see it for yourself).  Generally, that sort of ambiguity would annoy me, but here it works perfectly.  This is one I wouldn't mind seeing again.

My IMDb Rating: 6 stars out of a possible 10