‎Take Shelter (2011) directed by Jeff Nichols • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

Take Shelter

2011 Directed by Jeff Nichols

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.

Michael Shannon Jessica Chastain Katy Mixon Shea Whigham Ray McKinnon Tova Stewart Natasha Randall Ron Kennard Scott Knisley Robert Longstreet Heather Caldwell Sheila Hullihen Maryanne Nagel Kathy Baker LisaGay Hamilton Stuart Greer Bart Flynn Jeffrey Grover

120 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Adam Cook ★★★★★ 12

Take Shelter is a film of rare power and beauty and one that I really wish I had experienced on the big screen. Like the work of Terrence Malick this Jeff Nichols’ sophomore effort is not easy to convey in text as the film is about the feelings that it evokes and it demands to be experienced first hand. Few films have made me quite so tense and sweaty palmed as this. From the opening few minutes there is an almost suffocating air of foreboding that runs throughout the picture only to be punctuated by moments of quite beautiful serenity. I apologise if that sounds a little hokey, as I said earlier it isn’t easy to articulate the emotions you…
Review by Scott Anderson ★★★★★ 29

Take Shelter is an incredible, powerful film from Jeff Nichols, the man behind my current #3 film of 2013, Mud. I have had this on top of my "What the hell is taking so long, I need to watch these films" list, but for whatever reason I just kept putting it off. I was certain I would enjoy this film, but I wasn't expecting it to be superior to Mud, a film I adore that I wrote up a 5 star review for on this site back when I first saw it. Take Shelter is absolutely the stronger work though. My lord what a film.

Michael Shannon has to be one of the greatest actors working today, and his portrayal…
Review by ScreeningNotes ★★★★ 14

"There's a storm coming like nothing you've ever seen, and not a one of you is prepared for it."

There was a time not too long ago when I would not have been able to finish a movie like this. I had my first panic attack in 2010, and every day since has been a struggle to feel comfortable in my own skin. You can even see when I failed to watch Punch-Drunk Love just over two years ago, shortly after I joined Letterboxd. Take Shelter has a similar psychological intensity that cracks open Michael Shannon's skull and spills out a pool of his deepest and darkest fears that slowly seeps into the celluloid the way you might expect from…
Review by Auteur ★★★★★ 3

There are many films that explore psychological conditions like schizophrenia, and the effect they have on families, but not very many that I can think of where the characters are not exactly certain that is what's going on, and that's the wonderful originality of Take Shelter.

Curtis LaForche is a construction worker living in Ohio with his wife Samantha, deaf daughter Hannah, and of course his dog. Everything about his blue-collar life is the picture of normalcy until he begins having visions of devastation that grow increasingly paralyzing, sinister, and apocalyptic. Oily, black rain, birds flying together in strange shapes, and the family dog attacking his daughter lead him to begin believing that something bad is coming, and that he…
Review by DirkH ★★★★½ 42

There aren't many things more rewarding than expectations met. This film lived up to its expectations and then some.

This film transfixed me for its entire running time. From the first roll of thunder to the last. It is a testament to great film making when a film manages to captivate its audience to such a degree that time doesn't seem to have the same quality it had before you started watching. Take Shelter does that, it is simply impossible to not be pulled into the head of its unfortunate and compelling hero.

Jeff Nichols' film is visually stunning. He has the ability to create truly mesmerizing images it is simply impossible to take your eyes off. Be it a…
Review by Mr. DuLac ★★★★½ 20

You think I'm crazy? Well, listen up, there's a storm coming like nothing you've ever seen, and not a one of you is prepared for it.
-Curtis

I love Michael Shannon on Boardwalk Empire, but when he gives a performance like the one in Take Shelter you have to wonder why is he on television and not concentrating solely on film roles. The entire cast is great here, especially Jessica Chastain, but Shannon steals the show with one of the best performances of his career so far.

The film starts off with a sense of coming dread and builds on that every single minute up to the end. It almost becomes unbearable. Even in scenes where you're tipped off in…

Recent reviews

Review by Aaron Hendrix ★★★★★ 2

Sleep well in your beds. 'Cause if this thing comes true, there ain't gonna be any more.

I've seen the criticism that the last moments of this film betray that which came before. It's supposedly nonsensical.

But, the last moments of Nichols' masterpiece - Take Shelter - ring with cathartic doom precisely when they are needed. If we don't see the final storm, all the pain and trauma of Curtis's paranoia are undercut. He's a tragic figure, but reduced to his delusions. When Nichols allows for the brief moment of connection between Curtis and his wife, we understand that Curtis's delusions may not be over. But, finally, Samantha and he are on the same page. The barrier that has been driven in between them has finally crumbled.

In other words, it's the emotional logic of the scene - a logic built upon two hours of cinematic grammar - that keeps the final sequence grounded.
Review by Liam O'Donnell ★★★★

Still so tense, not just for the horrific dream sequences, but for the anxiety of feeling like you are losing everything and can do nothing to stop it
Review by GKnight ★★★★½

It takes a real talent to depict a man's descent into madness as vividly and convincingly as in this movie. The nightmarish visions will give you goosebumps, and while this could easily become a caricature with over the top acting and production, both director and the leading actors stick to minimalist approach, making watching this movie a harrowing experience, while creating a suspense few thrillers can match.
Review by Brandon Bush ★★★★

Solid entry to Jeff Nichol's small catalog of films. Take Shelter instills a relentless paranoia on its main protagonist Curtis. Keeping you guessing at what is real and what it not. Nichols captures the frail mind and the extremities that a potentially sick one can have on physical conditions, as well as the people that are in contact with it. Take Shelter's drama evolves slowly but is worth the time, with supporting actors that effectively provide confrontation and pity for Curtis. The characters are all well rounded and not one-dimensional but exhibit layers to them, which can be related to Curtis' different states of mind. The unfolding story is accompanied with strong visuals and great use of shadows. Environmental audio is striking and heart pounding. For an excellent psychological mystery drama Take Shelter delivers.
Review by kentsmith ★★★★★

damn..
Review by Enrique DC ★★★½

The Malick-iest of Nichols bunch.
Review by Victor V.K. ★★½

maybe i'm completely off with this assessment of character, but i do firmly believe that if someone had asked jeff nichols to describe his filmmaking ethos or something, he would have answered with "well, to be honest with you, i see myself foremost as a storyteller...."
Review by debkydd ★★★★

That last scene, wow.

!!!!!!
Review by Joel Baker ★★★★★

Cinematic brilliance.