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Sam Kressner full bio of Sam Kressner There's a storm brewing in Take Shelter, the Sundance hit from writer-director Jeff Nichols. A psychological excavation of one man's descent down the rabbit hole, Nichols's sophomore effort begins in the calm before impending disaster. Blue-collar construction worker and Midwest family man Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) is a prototypical everyman -- nurturing, paternalistic, and taciturn. At work, Curtis finds comfort in simple pleasures, manning the drill-bit alongside his best friend Dewart (Shea Wigham) and sharing chilled post-work beverages from an igloo cooler. At home, Curtis's wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) supports the family unconditionally. She prepares breakfast in the morning, attends sign language preschool, and endures long phone calls to her insurance company about an expensive procedure for their hearing-impaired daughter. God's country, America's heartland is a slice of complacent life. Everyone's scratching to get by and doing so with neighborly politeness and solidarity.
All is interrupted when Curtis starts to experience seemingly psychotic episodes. There is a portentous weather-front on the horizon: nightmares of oleaginous rain and predatory cannibals complemented by deafening, clear sky thunder and visions of crows flocking in the thousands. As expected, Curtis keeps mum, but this everyman also turns inalterably erratic. Using his house as collateral, he takes out a ten thousand dollar loan to refurbish his backyard storm shelter. He borrows equipment from his job, begs Dewart to lend a hand, and unearths the stable ground below, desperately risking everything for which he has worked. The flood is upon us, and Curtis will do anything to save his family from biblical wrath. Admittedly subject to a schizophrenic lineage (his mother was diagnosed at a similar age), Curtis actively pursues professional counsel. Despite his friends' mounting skepticism and Samantha's confusion (and eventual consternation), Curtis remains undeterred. The storm shelter must be built at all cost, and he will be vindicated.
Drenched in Old Testament overtones, Take Shelter decidedly, and quite thankfully, never proselytizes, intones, or mentions -- even in passing -- words of scripture. Why discuss the obvious? As a result, the film avoids bombast. Though the title demands the viewer take immediate precaution, Nichols plays out the narrative in a slow burn, toying with the audience's mounting discomfort. Mostly without relying on cheap shocks, Take Shelter enjoys its journey, knowing how to form and sustain disquieting terror. And when it finally ends in a bewildering cataclysm that is both highly satisfying and frustratingly open-ended, Take Shelter reveals itself to be engaging, problematic, and indebted to its star.
Michael Shannon captivates, inhabiting a man on the brink of psychological disaster,. He is a volcanic presence -- dormant upon arrival and ready to burst at any moment. The Chicago stage veteran began his career under the wing of lauded playwright Tracy Letts. Shannon appeared in the first runs of Killer Joe and Bug, both of which are now canonized in late-Twentieth Century American drama. He has made a career of playing the mercurial sort, a man on the edge. Even his natural smile is slightly crooked. It may seem difficult to comprehend why an actor of his caliber and features -- a chiseled jaw-line, handsome by all accounts -- took so long to become a leading man of the screen. But then you notice his eyes, a lazy left. It becomes clear. Shannon possesses a transfixing, formidable stare; his thin shoulders slumped, it looks as though he has the weight of the world on his back. And in Take Shelter, he does. He doesn't merely carry the film, as if it were some thespian burden; rather, he lifts Nichols's text until it stands erect and levitates, suspended in mid-air. Curtis LaForche may or may not retain celestial insight, powers associated to some sentient prophet; but Shannon belongs in a rarefied group of masterful craftsmen. His awesome talent reduces mere mortals to silent awe.
Tweet Comments: See more in: Take Shelter Michael Shannon Jessica Chastain Shea Whigham Katy Mixon Kathy Baker Ray McKinnon Robert Longstreet Guy Van Swearingen Lisa Gay Hamilton Tova Stewart Jeff Nichols Tyler Davidson Sophia Lin Jeff Nichols Newest Oldest Most Replies Most LikedAbout This Film from the AMC Movie Guide Don't Miss Take Shelter by Sam Kressner 50/50 by Jesse Hassenger My Joy by Chris Cabin Weekend (2011) by Chris Barsanti More from AMC Sites AMC Blogs AMC Movie Guide Filmsite Flashback Five - Your Favorite Tom Cruise Movies Tom Cruise Trivia Game Orlando Sentinel Calls Show One of Best of All Time; Gilligan Named A Top TV Showrunner Sign Up Today for the Breaking Bad Newsletter and Get All The Latest Delivered to Your Inbox What You're Saying About Why Don Cheats
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