Take Shelter
This is a rewatch for me, but I figured we could talk about it here. Essentially, everything in the plot is designed to make Curtis look as if he were experiencing a severe mental health condition, but then all of our expectations and understandings are subverted with that brief, but impactful final scene. I haven't seen it in a good while (it's ten years old now!), but I remember what I liked so much about it, primarily in the imagery. This is some of my favorite use of CGI in a film, it works fairly naturally within the story, while providing an extra punch that recording regular storms and trying some fancy editing might not be able to accomplish. The flock of birds, the levitating furniture, the grand and amazing storms - to be honest, I will likely continue watching this film into the future just because of those hair-raising images/premonitions. Shannon and Chastain are also pretty great. Shannon really embodies Curtis' paranoia and his troubled nature, and is quite method in his approach.
The question is: What does it all mean? I don't necessarily watch movies for a grand meaning; some require them more than others. But for this one, the topicality (mental illness) seems like it ought to lead us somewhere profound. However, the finale seems to be more about leaving us with one of those "Whoa...wait, what?" reactions that are often not very meaningful at all. So Curtis was experiencing premonitions of the future. What does that mean for everything we saw previously in the film? The degradation of his familial relationships and friendships? It seems like a lot of this film was about mental health, but the conclusion pulls the rug from under us and possibly renders everything else we've seen as meaningless. If he isn't experiencing mental health issues, then what? It can't just be in the negative, He is not experiencing mental health issues, because making a film to show someone is not experiencing something makes no sense. What is it, then? I don't have a great interpretation right now. This most recent viewing has left me with more questions than answers. Sometimes the film enthusiast may just leave it at that. What do you think?