Take Shelter

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Take Shelter

R

2011

2h 4m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

168 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Curtis LaForche lives in a small Ohio town with his loving wife and hearing-impaired daughter. Though money is tight, he and his family are very happy. But then, Curtis begins having terrifying dreams about an apocalypse that threatens them all. Rather than confiding in Samantha, he begins building a storm shelter in the backyard, and his strange behavior causes tension in their marriage and the surrounding community.

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Critics Consensus

Michael Shannon gives a powerhouse performance and the purposefully subtle filmmaking creates a perfect blend of drama, terror, and dread.

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Geoff Andrew

Sight & Sound

08/29/2017

What makes Nichols' film so satisfying, at least until the melodrama of the final act, is the deftness of the characterisations and the constant sense that things are probably considerably more complex than they're perceived.

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David Thomson

The New Republic

06/20/2013

In my estimate, this unique and frequently arresting film suffers from the monotony of the lead players' affect, and from the film's urge to have its gloomy cake and eat it.

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Justin Chang

Variety

01/04/2012

A hallucinatory thriller anchored by a deeply resonant sense of unease.

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Josh Goller

Spectrum Culture

Aug 26

At the smoldering core of Jeff Nichols’ 2011 slow-burning psychological drama isn’t only a man struggling with bad dreams, but two people weathering a storm together.

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Ray Pride

Newcity

07/04/2024

10/10

Taut masterpiece of prescient dread... Day clouds are pretty and plain, puffs of white, expanse of common blue. Nichols finds telling details everywhere in the countryside, in mood akin to Eggleston but far from Shore.

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Michael Leader

Den of Geek

05/08/2024

4/5

Whether it achieves such standing or not, Take Shelter succeeds in something quite impressive.

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Robert J

@RockSteady 3d

Long—fell asleep a few times. Strange ending. Artsy types might enjoy it, but not worth paying money or spending two hours on for most people. Not memorable.

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Esteban J

@Esteban_J14 Aug 19

A misleading synopsis promises an impenetrable bunker, but Take Shelter fails to deliver a survival film, presenting one of the weakest shelters on screen. The pacing is excruciatingly slow. Critics claim the deaf daughter subplot adds financial tension, ignoring the script: his insurance covered her treatment. Driven only by premonitions, not money, this subplot is completely unnecessary and adds nothing meaningful to the story. The narrative drags so heavily that the sole reason to finish it is to discover if his visions are real or just in his mind. The entire film relies on a payoff crammed into the final three minutes, leaving the rest of the runtime feeling completely empty. The film earns its 1.5 stars strictly for the acting. Both leads deliver incredibly solid, grounded performances. Unfortunately, great acting isn't enough to save a movie where almost nothing happens until the very end, despite what experts try to justify.

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Janana S

@JanaBananaa Aug 7

eu passei o filme todo torcendo pra acontecer algo de verdade e não ser apenas a possível doença, e no final fiquei sem entender nada, definitivamente sou desprovida de conhecimento.

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Daniel L

@Hotchopeppa Aug 3

Slow burning but very captivating. Love the ending.

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Ree B

@RT25866426 Jul 25

Yeah, not sure how it got such high ratings on this platform! I stuck with it hoping that it would get better, but it was so boring and the ending was a let down. Find something else to watch. Dont take notice of the high reviews. I think they were drunk or high when they watched it haha

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Mel T

@MelonEarth Jul 24

I cannot believe anyone was entertained by a movie where someone slowly goes nuts, and nothing happens. It is BORING. It's not interesting watching an unlikeable character go mental. I don't believe people actually got any enjoyment from that. There are no spoilers in this review because NOTHING HAPPENS.

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Jeff Nichols

Director

Michael Shannon

Curtis LaForche

Jessica Chastain

Samantha LaForche

Shea Whigham

Dewart

Katy Mixon

Nat

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Synopsis

Curtis LaForche lives in a small Ohio town with his loving wife and hearing-impaired daughter. Though money is tight, he and his family are very happy. But then, Curtis begins having terrifying dreams about an apocalypse that threatens them all. Rather than confiding in Samantha, he begins building a storm shelter in the backyard, and his strange behavior causes tension in their marriage and the surrounding community.

Director: Jeff Nichols
Producer: Tyler Davidson, Sophia Lin
Screenwriter: Jeff Nichols
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Strange Matter Films
Rating: R (Some Language)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 30, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 25, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.7M
Runtime: 2h 4m

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