Take Shelter Review

Sunday the 6th November 2011, Leeds Town Hall is again playing host to a very special screening, tonight Take Shelter is showing.

I dont know what attracted me to this film, After The Happening I have learned to avoid films where the weather plays a large part but as soon as I picked the Leeds Film Festival programme up and saw the section on Take Shelter I knew I wanted to see it. I really don't know why, I just felt like I needed to see it, and I was not disappointed.

Take Shelter is a powerful, thought provoking, wonderful piece of cinema. The story? Curtis, played brilliantly by Michael Shannon, has dreams and visions of an impeding storm. Curtis becomes so obsessed with his dreams that he builds a storm shelter in his back garden. Curtis' obsession with his shelter threatens his marriage, his job and his friendship with both his best mate and his brother. Curtis seeks help with his doctor, a councillor and psychiatrist, Curtis ends up taking his family away for a weekend where something happens that will shatter his life and the lives of them around him.

This is such a beautiful film. The direction is inch perfect. I don't normally notice the music in films (Carpenter and Batman exception) but the music in this film really added to the wonderful atmosphere this film created. The supporting cast give excellent performances, the locations and scenery are wonderful to look at and the family the film centres around feel so real. The CGI which was used to create the storm sequences also look scarily real.

Take Shelter is essential viewing for any cinema fan and is very close to being perfect.

Take Shelter - 4/5