This Gem From 'The Bikeriders' Director Is One of the Most Unusual Disaster Movies You'll Ever See

Jeff Nichols, director of the recent The Bikeriders, is known for his slow, viscous dramas about people trying to maintain their humanity in a crumbling world.

In 2011, he made one of the most unusual movies of his career – Take Shelter, starring Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain.

It's not your typical disaster film, there's no massive destruction or superheroes saving the world – it's a psychological drama about a man who can't figure out if a catastrophe is truly coming or if he's going crazy.

What Is 'Take Shelter' About?

Curtis lives with his family in a small Ohio town. He is tormented by dreams and visions of the end of the world approaching: enormous black clouds, oily, rust-colored rain, and flocks of black birds swirling into ominous funnels.

He decides to build a huge shelter in his yard to protect his family from the impending threat. However, the other townspeople don't believe a natural disaster is coming, and even his wife, Samantha, begins to doubt his sanity.

Curtis doesn't know whether to consider himself a prophet or a madman – and neither does anyone else.

The Entire Movie Will Leave You Wondering Whether It's Madness or Prophecy

The main character, played by Michael Shannon, sees apocalyptic tornadoes only in his dreams, initially, he tries to dismiss them, but then he perceives them as prophecies.

Throughout the movie, Shannon's portrayal leaves viewers wondering who is more insane: the man who wakes up terrified by his visions and spends his family's money building a gigantic shelter, or the people around him who scoff at his prophecies?

Shannon comes across as a convincing psychopath, not a pretender – his character is obsessed but never loses his humanity, he fears for his family and wants to protect his daughter from himself.

'Take Shelter' Isn't Your Typical And Generic Disaster Flick

As a disaster movie, Jeff Nichols' work is interesting because it may not even feature a disaster.

Take Shelter is a completely different matter – it's a drama of such caliber that it caught the attention of the juries at the Sundance and Cannes festivals. Rather than describing a surprising incident, the author strives to present a metaphorical parable that leads to global sociopolitical and philosophical generalizations.

Take Shelter's ending will make you either hate or love it – there seems to be no middle ground.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Take Shelter'?

• Take Shelter has 92% from critics and 81% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 7.3/10.

• On Letterboxd, Take Shelter scored 3.8/5.0.

Where to Watch 'Take Shelter'?

Take Shelter is available to stream on Netflix and Prime Video.