Take Shelter

The first shot in the eerily absorbing Take Shelter shows a man outside his quaint American heartland home as he is caught in a sudden downpour-- raindrops coming down with the color of motor oil.  Something's clearly afoot here in this paranoid, end of days art house chamber piece.  Directed by Jeff Nichols (Shotgun Stories), and starring Michael Shannon, it's the large quiet moments that matter most, distilling a texture of a modern, alienated man trying to keep his hold on reality.  In fact, Take Shelter, while perhaps best described as a thriller, is almost totally silent and a bit demanding, but builds unnervingly well to the patient moviegoer.  Not just a mad stormy weather piece, nor man gone crazy drama, but a meditation on modern struggles and recession-era stress.  Whatever the point, Nichols elegantly builds the films terrors beautifully, and Shannon, while certainly in his comfort zone in playing a zonked, mentally unstable man (think of Bug, his Oscar-nominated supporting turn in Revolutionary Road and nearly everything else on his resume) gives an altogether raw and impassioned performance that both elevates the film in it's reality-based horrors, and connects on a larger chord to the masses who struggle to keep both feet firmly planted on the floor.

Plagued by nightmares, hallucinations and really bad weather, Curtis (Shannon), a hard-working construction worker with a lovely and dutiful wife (Jessica Chastain) is having a rough go at it.  Seeing imposing clouds in the sky (and wondering if it's just him seeing them), distraught of the woes of not being able to provide for and protect his family, Curtis is spiraling down a rabbit hole of paranoia and fear.  Sensing that his dreams may be prophetic as well as a sure sign of complete madness, he spends the majority of the film trying to maintain order.  That's part of the trick of the movie and the masterful quality of Shannon's performance.  Where is this coming from?  Could it possibly be genetic-- his mother (Kathy Baker) was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at his age.  Could it be financial-- he's kind of struggling at work, and bills need to be paid, as well as his deaf daughter's looming surgery-- yes there are quite of bit of squirmy plot points, but they never overtake the film thankfully. 

Curtis' master plan to solve all: to build an immense storm shelter in his back yard.  Whatever the case, or whatever the outcome, the thrills of Take Shelter are the quiet gestures of Curtis trying to maintain his stability-- he even seeks counseling.  Fears of ending up like mum and abandoning his family come to surface as well. For her part, Chastain matches Shannon's intensity with her soft sensitivity; a bit like the other side of the coin to the idealized motherlyness she brought to The Tree of Life; she's down to earth, maturely level-headed and filled with the natural humanity of an average hard-working wife and mom.  She makes curtains and pillows for extra household cash and she's nurturing to her husband's strange behavior till the point of breakdown.  What builds, and I'm hasty to give much away, is a climax that's as unsettling but tenderly earned.  Take Shelter beautifully drifts its audience in with artistic gracefulness.  B+

The Last Bit About Cannes

As the 2011 Cannes Film Festival winds down, what's always left is what will become of the movies that played, both to rousing response and less so.  The big winner, The Tree of Life, will be released in limited release this coming week (with a wide release planned July 8th, which is a long time-- jump on it-- Malick fans wait long enough for gods sake), courtesy of the brave and rescuing warriors at Fox Searchlight Pictures.  Of course, they have a big awards victory as a major coup, alongside a major filmmaker and bona-fide movie stars in Brad Pitt and Sean Penn as collateral, but it's still a gamble; a cerebral art house mindfuck at the beginning of the summer movie season... and let's all set aside in thinking this film is going to coast itself all the way to the Oscars.

But there's other films out there too.  Winner of the Grand Prize at the Cannes Critics Week was the American film Take Shelter, starring Michael Shannon and the ubiquitous Jessica Chastain, which is being described as the good version of an M. Night Shyamalan movie.  Sony Pictures Classics is set to release the film some time this fall.  Trailer below:

 

Another hot button film that was in competition was We Need to Talk About Kevin, starring Tilda Swinton and directed by Lynne Ramsay.  The film was critically beloved, but unfortunately walked away empty-handed come prize time, which might have put the film at a disadvantage considering its sour subject matter (a high school shooting), however brave distributor Oscilloscope (the same company that saved small gems like Meek's Cutoff, Wendy & Lucy and The Messenger) has come to the rescue.  Perhaps, if seen, it will undue some the past Academy damages done in recent years and honor Swinton with an Oscar nomination.

Meanwhile, Drive, winner of the Best Director prize, and starring Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan will be unveiled this September from distributor FilmDistrict, an up and coming company fresh from a wonderful spring thanks to the surprise success stories of Soul Surfer and Insidious.

Finally, a finely tuned reaction to her Best Actress win from Kirsten Dunst.