Michael Shannon burst onto the scene some years ago and established himself as a unique character actor. With his portrayal in Bug he showed his range and set himself as a force in the industry. His latest film Take Shelter looks to take him back into that similar type of role, but will he deliver the same intense brilliance of Bug or will you wish that you sheltered yourself from the storm?
Take Shelter follows Curtis LaForche who lives in a small Ohio town with his wife Samantha and six-year-old daughter Hannah, who is deaf. Curtis begins having terrifying dreams about an encroaching, apocalyptic storm. His seemingly inexplicable behavior concerns and confounds Samantha, and provokes intolerance among co-workers, friends and neighbors. But the resulting strain on his marriage and tension within the community doesn't compare to Curtis' private fear of what his dreams may truly signify. Once again Shannon delivers a powerful performance with this character that has a lot of different levels and emotions to deal with. The story isn’t all that complicated, but it has enough depth to it to keep you wondering even if you think you know what is going on. This isn’t a film full of action or cool CGI moments, but one that follows one man’s seemingly decent in madness while trying to maintain his sanity. What works in this movie even more so than his performance, is the structure of the story itself. It leaves the viewer pondering at where it is taking you and while not totally hard to figure out, makes some clever choices to keep you not quite sure.
This is a great movie, but may come off as a bit of an acquired taste. There’s no gore, CGI, action, or any real excitement. Instead you’re given a good story with powerful performances to carry the film. Shannon has once again proven his brilliance and anticipation to him taking on the role of Zod in the upcoming Superman film.
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