Take Shelter

2011 • 121 minutes

À propos de ce film

Following his acclaimed debut, Shotgun Stories, writer/director Jeff Nichols reteams with actor Michael Shannon to create a haunting tale that will creep under your skin and expose your darkest fears. Curtis LaForche lives in a small town in Ohio with his wife, Samantha, and daughter, Hannah, a six-year-old deaf girl. 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 behavior 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. Take Shelter features fully realized characters crumbling under the weight of real-life problems. Using tone and atmosphere to chilling effect, Nichols crafts a powerful psychological thriller that is a disturbing tale for our times. MPAA Rating: R Rated R for some language.

Notes et avis

Not normally my genre, but the way the protagonist's angst is portrayed is particularly gut-wrenching and thought provoking. Never felt so much empathy for a main character. Also keeps you guessing about what which perspective represents reality, even though the plot is quite simple. Thumbs up for this young director!

I love this film makers style. He pays obvious homage to pop culture such as disaster films and even alien encounters but in such an understated and original way. You can feel the almost Spielberg tones in his films but they never fall into predictability. He keeps a constant feeling of jeopardy and intrigue at the forefront while giving away just enough to the viewer that they stay satisfied. Pretty perfect, with a mesmerising lead actor. Also visually bleak but beautiful and a captivating audio track.

A genuinely disturbing and paranoid film from Jeff Nichols with a performance from Michael Shannon that put him on my humble shortlist of favourite actors.