Take Shelter - DVD

Film: Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) leads a modest but contented life in small-town Ohio with his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and their daughter Hannah. Although the young family has to fight hard for every penny, they look happily into the future. But then Curtis is repeatedly haunted by dark nightmares in which he sees an apocalyptic storm brewing. What he initially dismisses as a disturbing dream soon takes more and more possession of his mind. Curtis is convinced that this storm is coming and that he must protect his family. And so he begins to expand an old shelter in the backyard. While the visions become more and more frightening, Curtis` behaviour also becomes more and more obsessive. His environment is increasingly irritated by this and even Samantha begins to turn away from her husband, frightened. But this does not change Curtis` conviction about the approaching apocalypse...

Take Shelter is a drama that will divide opinion. For some (and I definitely count myself among them), the whole thing is a great piece of work that will linger long in the memory with mesmerizing imagery and strong acting performances. For others, the film is just boring due to its very worn narrative and extremely long takes. You have to get involved with the film as a whole, with its staging, the meaningful acting of the actors and with the story, and that might not be possible for everyone. But those who like to dare a little more unwieldy fare will perhaps be able to lose themselves in the story and its images.

When talking about the images, then of course the apocalyptic visions of Curtis are meant in the first place. Whether it's a destructive hurricane or flocks of birds behaving arguably strangely, these scenes are absolutely visually mesmerizingly realized. With very good effects for a small production like this and great camerawork, the oppressive heaviness of the visions is quickly transferred to the viewer as well, while at the same time the images are also of an almost hypnotic beauty that really burns itself into the memory in a lasting way. Regardless of what you may think of the finale in particular, the last shot of the film is simply magnificent from a purely visual standpoint.

Michael Shannon, who also currently shines in the Martin Scorsese-produced series Boardwalk Empire, embodies the slow slide into supposed insanity absolutely convincingly, and even if the whole thing drops in intensity a bit towards the end, his performance is one of the aspects that make Take Shelter such an impressive film. Again, though, you have to be able to get into it, because otherwise Shannon's acting may come across as a little over the top and annoying.

After more than two hours, there are of course some unanswered questions, most notably what this is all about. Is the story synonymous with a society increasingly terrified by the media? Is it meant to symbolize the feeling of many Americans that only they themselves should and can protect their families? Or is it perhaps simply about faith? About paranoia? Or about how families should defy all odds and stand as the last bastion against a decaying society? There are many ways the film, and most especially its finale, could be interpreted. And what will delight some and inspire lasting discussion will confirm others in their conviction of the futility of it all.

If you don't mind when a director sometimes hits the brakes very hard, when a film allows for multiple possible interpretations, and when many a scene consists merely of melancholy glances, then you shouldn't miss this apocalyptic-tinged drama for its great cast and fascinating images alone. On the other hand, those who need some pace and a rather straightforward story to be entertained will definitely have to seek shelter from this film. Therefore, my personal recommendation is also this time to enjoy with special caution: absolutely worth seeing!!

Picture + Sound: The film lives on its strong visual language. Fortunately, this also comes into its own in the home cinema. Especially the outdoor scenes have a very high detail sharpness, a coherent color scheme and good contrasts. Only in some darker scenes are small weaknesses noticeable here and there in the overall very clean picture. The sound is very restrained for long stretches, but during some of Curtis` visions the surround channels come into play thanks to neatly implemented sound effects. And it`s at moments like these that the German DTS track comes across as a bit more powerful than the equally good Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. Good!

Extras: The DVD's bonus package starts with an audio commentary by director Jeff Nichols and lead actor Michael Shannon. The optionally German subtitled conversation between the two men is very loose, at times a bit ponderous, but definitely interesting and provides a much better insight into the making of the film than the nearly 10 minute long German language promotional making of. In addition, there is an English-language behind-the-scenes look, also just under ten minutes long, which has a little more depth of content to offer. Two cut scenes (approx. 6 min.) and an interview session with Michael Shannon and his co-actor Shea Whigham, with whom he has been good friends since working together in the drama Tigerland. The German and English trailers for the film round out the bonus material. Good!

Conclusion: Take Shelter is a fascinating drama that may not open up to every viewer with its worn narrative style, the many questions that remain unanswered and its symbolic visual language. But those who can get involved with this very special story are guaranteed to be captivated by the visions of the desperate family man Curtis. On the DVD the film presents itself in good technical quality, the bonus material is clear, but sometimes very worth seeing. And then exactly the same applies to the entire DVD!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp