Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by tunenut (A) on October 24, 2011 at 11:46:23

Those who have watched Boardwalk Empire will know Michael Shannon as the somewhat unhinged FBI agent. In Take Shelter, he goes even further, as his mental state is the entire subject. He is a rural oil worker. The rural setting is beautifully portrayed. He has a wife and a young deaf daughter. And he is having terrible nightmares.

This is really the whole movie. However, minimal as it seems on paper, I found this to be one of the more compelling film experiences in recent months. There is a real visceral horror- either something terrible is coming into view or his mind is drifting from reality. In either case, there is something to fear. He takes both possibilities seriously. An atmosphere of dread is palpable. And Michael Shannon does unhinged in a serious way, not sort of jokey like Jack Nicholson in The Shining. I thought this was quite extraordinary. It is a sort of adult horror movie.