Monday, August 29, 2016

Take Shelter: An Apocalyptic Thriller

By: Mary Kiser

What do you think will happen to the human race during Earth's final cataclysm?

I think about this question every time I see a storm. Something so beautiful as nature can twist into something so wicked, and who really knows why. Science can predict nature, and give reasons for rainfall, lightening, and thunder. However, nature can't be summarized by scientists. People can't be summarized by scientists, either.

Take Shelter is a psychological thriller that explores the inner beast of both mind and nature. Michael Shannon, one of my favorite actors, plays Curtis; in the beginning, friends admire him as a steady, strong, and sedulous man. He works at a construction company to take care of his wife, Samantha, and daughter, Hannah. When he starts to suffer from intense nightmares that leave him with real pain and uneasiness, his behavior changes. Is he this unstable man who suffers from mental illness, or is he a prophet with visions of the future?

The ending is just as ambiguous as his nightmares or visions, but regardless, director Jeff Nichols has interpreted his own feelings of anxiety into frightening reality onscreen. His portrayal of panic, fear, and dread create this movie's perfect storm. It was released in 2011, but his film is timeless in both human and nature emotion.

If anyone would like to read his interview, which does contain spoilers, you can visit this website: http://www.ifc.com/2011/09/jeff-nichols-take-shelter-interview.

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