Movie Crush Monday: CT & Take Shelter
In the fall of 2011, I had a few months in a row where it seemed like every movie I saw was apocalyptic in one way or another. Either the end of the world in a small, private way or the literal end of the world. Of these movies (all of which I loved), my favorite by far was Take Shelter.
I went into this movie almost completely blind. I'd seen a trailer, I think, but I didn't know what to expect and oh man, was my mind blown. Take Shelter was a super limited release so I'm going to pop the trailer here in case you haven't seen it. I'll also be careful to avoid any spoilers (who wants to be that girl, eh?)
The basic premise is that a man with a family history of schizophrenia starts having intense apocalyptic visions. He has to decide whether to believe the visions and protect his family or to see the visions as symptoms of a disease.
And holy cow are the visions intense. The filmmaker, Jeff Nichols (who also wrote Mud, another outstanding film) does a wonderful job of letting the visions blend right in with reality. You never know if the man is dreaming again or if this time the storm is real. That gives the visions this visceral feel, like you can feel the wind around you or the texture of the rain like he can.
All of this, of course, is helped by some truly wonderful performances. Michael Shannon is always a powerhouse and this is no exception. This is a situation that could get ridiculous or melodramatic in the wrong hands, but Shannon walks the line between belief and fear wonderfully. You never doubt that he's terrified for his family because no matter whether the visions are truly prophetic or whether he's in the first stages of schizophrenia, his wife and child are in serious danger.
His wife is played by Jessica Chastain, in one of the best performances of her life. What baffled me was that in 2011 she was nominated for every award imaginable for The Help. Now, she did a wonderful job in The Help, but it was nowhere near the kind of performance that she gives in Take Shelter. The scenes where Chastain is forced to confront her husband about his increasingly erratic behavior have a beautiful desperation to them.
I promised that I wouldn't get spoilery, but a quick, spoiler-free word about the ending of this film. A lot of people hated the ending to this one. They felt like it ruined the point that the movie was trying to make. I respectfully disagree... okay maybe not so respectfully all the time because the ending to this movie is awesome. It's a super bold choice by the writer, and I believe wholeheartedly that it does nothing but support the choices he's made throughout the film.
I absolutely loved Take Shelter. It's one of those movies that's stuck with me and I think about all the time. If you haven't seen it yet, it's available to stream on Starz or to buy on any number of services.
Happy Crushing!
CT
I went into this movie almost completely blind. I'd seen a trailer, I think, but I didn't know what to expect and oh man, was my mind blown. Take Shelter was a super limited release so I'm going to pop the trailer here in case you haven't seen it. I'll also be careful to avoid any spoilers (who wants to be that girl, eh?)
And holy cow are the visions intense. The filmmaker, Jeff Nichols (who also wrote Mud, another outstanding film) does a wonderful job of letting the visions blend right in with reality. You never know if the man is dreaming again or if this time the storm is real. That gives the visions this visceral feel, like you can feel the wind around you or the texture of the rain like he can.
All of this, of course, is helped by some truly wonderful performances. Michael Shannon is always a powerhouse and this is no exception. This is a situation that could get ridiculous or melodramatic in the wrong hands, but Shannon walks the line between belief and fear wonderfully. You never doubt that he's terrified for his family because no matter whether the visions are truly prophetic or whether he's in the first stages of schizophrenia, his wife and child are in serious danger.
His wife is played by Jessica Chastain, in one of the best performances of her life. What baffled me was that in 2011 she was nominated for every award imaginable for The Help. Now, she did a wonderful job in The Help, but it was nowhere near the kind of performance that she gives in Take Shelter. The scenes where Chastain is forced to confront her husband about his increasingly erratic behavior have a beautiful desperation to them.
I promised that I wouldn't get spoilery, but a quick, spoiler-free word about the ending of this film. A lot of people hated the ending to this one. They felt like it ruined the point that the movie was trying to make. I respectfully disagree... okay maybe not so respectfully all the time because the ending to this movie is awesome. It's a super bold choice by the writer, and I believe wholeheartedly that it does nothing but support the choices he's made throughout the film.
I absolutely loved Take Shelter. It's one of those movies that's stuck with me and I think about all the time. If you haven't seen it yet, it's available to stream on Starz or to buy on any number of services.
Happy Crushing!
CT
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