TAKE SHELTER

     MICHAEL SHANNON  JESSICA CHASTAIN

CURTIS (SHANNON) IS A MIDDLE CLASS FAMILY MAN MARRIED TO SAMANTHA (CHASTAIN) WITH A DAUGHTER.  HE WORKS AS A WELL DRILLER ON A CONSTRUCTION SITE.  ONE DAY HE HAS A NIGHTMARE ABOUT AN APOCALYPTIC STORM, WHICH IS FOLLOWED BY MORE DREAMS THAT ARE MORE TERRIFYING AND HORRIFIC.  WITH A HISTORY OF MENTAL ILLNESS IN HIS FAMILY, CURTIS STARTS SEEING A COUNSELOR TO HELP, BUT THE DREAMS GET WORSE AND CURTIS EVEN BEGINS TO HALLUCINATE WHILE AWAKE.  BELIEVING THE END IS NEAR, CURTIS BUILDS A STORM SHELTER FOR PROTECTION, BUT THAT ONLY CAUSES MORE PROBLEMS FOR HIMSELF, HIS MARRIAGE, HIS FAMILY AND HIS FRIENDS. 
THIS IS AN OUTSTANDING MOVIE.  IT HAS MANY LAYERS THAT CAN BE INTERPRETED IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS, DEPENDING ON HOW YOU VIEW THE MOVIE.  BOTH SHANNON AND CHASTAIN GIVE REMARKABLE BELIEVABLE PERFORMANCES: HE AS A PERSON WHO THINKS HE IS SLOWLY GOING INSANE BUT HAS NO IDEA WHY OR WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT, WITH THIS ALL CONSUMING DESIRE TO BUILD A SHELTER TO PROTECT HIS FAMILY; SHE AS A PERSON WHO IS WATCHING THE MAN SHE LOVES BECOME SOMEONE ELSE, NOT KNOWING WHY, BUT THERE TO SUPPORT HIM, AND THEN WHEN SHE LEARNS EVERYTHING, RATHER THAN RUNNING SHE STAYS TO HELP IN ANY WAY SHE CAN.
THE MOVIE IS SOMEWHAT SLOW MOVING, BUT THE STORM SEQUENCES ARE FULL OF TENSION AND DREAD, AND ALONG THE WAY THE MOVIE DOES BUILD TO SOME SMALL CLIMAXES, AND THEN FINALLY TO THE ENDING, WHICH SHOULD BE LEFT FOR THE VIEWER TO DECIDE UPON.  THIS IS A MUST WATCH MOVIE.
RATING  3.5 out of 5