Plagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, a young husband and father questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from himself.
Terrific. Michael Shannon delivers a fractured everyman who'll stay with you long after the final frame.
Goes on for longer than it needs to, and it will unsettle you, but well worth seeing.
The supernatural horror/suburban drama mash-up doesn’t always sit well, but there’s no need to take shelter from the Shannon/Nichols partnership.
It’s not just Shannon’s film — Jessica Chastain backs him up with luminous concern, and Nichols isn’t closing anything down with his gutsy, switcheroo ending.
The film's power should reside in this agonised human dilemma, but in the end it becomes a rather self-important shaggy dog story.
Shannon’s outstanding performance always keeps it going, until it becomes all about how it resolves, and in that regard Take Shelter satisfies.
It’s the cumulative terror the film builds up that really resonates.
Run away.
Brilliantly observed.
Overpraised at Cannes, Take Shelter wears its shallow, tendentious profundity like a Halloween party dress.
The performances and themes of this psychological drama are all in five-star territory, it's just a shame all the good work is let down by a seriously over-long plot.
Take Shelter is an intriguing, painful film about the angst that's currently in the air, about misreading the runes, about embarking on actions that might make us laughing stocks, about taking wagers with and against history.
A visionary thriller, anchored by a performance of tornado force from Michael Shannon. Provocative and evocative, it’s one of the best American indies of 2011.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
Edinburgh Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Friday December 30, 2011, until Thursday January 5, 2012. More info: www.filmhousecinema.com
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