Take Shelter has been on many people’s Top 10 lists of 2011, and it totally seems like it could have been my type of movie. In fact, if there were any films from 2011 I hadn’t yet seen that I felt may have had the potential to break into my Top 10, it was this.

It didn’t.

Curtis (Michael Shannon) is a construction worker and family man, wanting the best for his wife, Samantha (Jessica Chastain), and deaf daughter, Hannah (Tova Stewart). But he soon begins having nightmares of an upcoming apocalyptic storm that are a little too real. He becomes obsessive with fixing up an old storm shelter in his backyard to the point his family and friends question is sanity. And maybe he is going insane, as his mother suffers from schizophrenia. Only time will tell… but the time it takes may be too long.

While watching the film, I came to one rather simple comparison. This film is the Stir of Echoes for the Melancholia crowd. In that I mean it’s an artsy apocalypse film about a well-meaning family man who starts having visions that drive him to confuse dreams with reality and do obsessive amounts of construction to his house and inevitably force his family and friends to believe he’s lost it. And because I really like Stir of Echoes and can appreciate/respect though ultimately didn’t care for Melancholia, this was a tough one for me.

The film’s biggest flaw for me is just that–a flaw for me. Most people who know me knows I’m not a big fan of slow pacing. I’m not saying I need constant action or something happening at all times. No. I can deal with it if it’s a slow burn that builds up to some fantastic climax. I love a number of movies that do this. But I have trouble with long, slow films that are just long, slow films. They aren’t my cup of tea. And this one just seems to put certain events on repeat for its 2-hour run.

That being said, I did like pretty much everything else about it. The acting, for starters, is top notch. Led by Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain (co-star of another long, slow film from last year that shall not be named), we’re treated to some outstanding performances. Michael Shannon gives us a strong, quiet, prideful man who just wants what’s best for his family, no matter the cost. He walks that line between sanity and insanity, constantly making you wonder what’s going on in that man’s head and if he’s really crazy or not. You never hate him for his actions. You might not like some of his choices, but you at least can understand where he’s coming from. He never really does anything damning. Chastain, on the other hand, plays the wife and mother with beauty and grace, but at the same time with fear and worry that she’s losing her husband to something she can’t help with.

I’ve read a lot of people threw a fit over the ending. I won’t spoil the ending here, so no worries. I just wanted to add that I didn’t find it destroyed the rest of the film whatsoever. I actually really liked it and, believe it or not, it made me like the movie even more. So take that however you will.

In the end, I’m glad I saw it. It’s not a bad film by any means. It’s just that, as I said before, I’m personally not a fan of crawl-paced films–especially ones that are 2+ hours (this one just hits the 2 hour mark). But if you don’t mind them, I can’t see you having much to hate about this. It’s well made, well acted, and just overall well done. But if I ever have to choose, I will always have to go with Stir of Echoes.

♥♥♥♥

(P.S. I gave it this rating because, besides the slowness factor, I thought it was a genuinely good movie and it didn’t deserve anything lower just because of my personal pacing preferences. After all, the pacing wasn’t wonky or wrong… it’s just for a different crowd.)