Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) lives in a small Ohio town with his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and six-year-old daughter Hannah, who is deaf. Money is tight, and navigating Hannah's healthcare and special needs education is a constant struggle. Despite that, Curtis and Samantha are very much in love and their family is a happy one.
Then Curtis begins having terrifying dreams about an encroaching, apocalyptic storm. He chooses to keep the disturbance to himself, channeling his anxiety into the obsessive building of a storm shelter in their backyard. But the resulting strain on his marriage and tension within the community doesn't compare to Curtis' private fear of what his dreams may truly signify.
Faced with the proposition that his disturbing visions signal disaster of one kind or another, Curtis confides in Samantha, testing the power of their bond against the highest possible stakes.
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Movie Reviews from Rotten Tomatoes
TOMATOMETER
Reviews Counted: 149
TOP CRITICS'S REVIEWS
Fresh: A hallucinatory thriller anchored by a deeply resonant sense of unease.
-Justin Chang, Variety, January 04, 2012Fresh: An impressively sustained slow-burn parable from writer-director Jeff Nichols, shot with ominous beauty, guarding its mysteries with care.
-Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph, November 25, 2011Rotten: The film's power should reside in this agonised human dilemma, but in the end it becomes a rather self-important shaggy dog story.
-Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK], November 25, 2011Fresh: An intense drama of mental meltdown and domestic apocalypse for an age of anxiety.
-Anton Bitel, Film4, November 24, 2011
Not Bad 
March 31, 2012
The acting was good and the plot was actually good, that's why I am rating it 4 stars, however, there just was not enough action for me, it seemed to drag on and on at times throughout the movie. I actually liked the plot and the significant's of the story line behind the plot, I just wished there would have been more details of his dreams; hence, more drama/action.
Reviewer: Brenda Review refers to DVD version
Simply brilliant
March 25, 2012
Michael Shannon delivers an outstanding performance as Curtis, a working class Midwesterner overcome by a disturbing, foreboding sense of impending doom in “Take Shelter,” a menacingly brilliant film in which every scene intensifies the mounting tension of Curtis’ life. As horrific dreams disturb Curtis, we witness his devoted wife Samantha (played, in another astounding performance, by Jessica Chastain, who seems to be cornering the market on suffering middle-class wife roles) desperately trying to maintain some sense of normality in their lives by selling her wares at a swap meet and taking care of their young deaf daughter. Curtis witnesses coming storms that only he seems to see. He begins exhibiting bizarre behavior that threatens his relationship with his wife, jeopardizes his job, and undermines his credibility in the community. Writer-director Jeff Nichols masterfully weaves a complex tale of one man’s apparent mental collapse and its consequences on those around him—but strong undercurrents of uncertainty permeate throughout this film. Is Curtis really losing his mind? Are his visions and dreams really omens of what is to come? Never before have I rooted so hard for a character’s sanity. The tension mounts to an almost unbearable climax—only to yield to a truly remarkable final scene. See this movie—it is a powerful and majestic work of cinematic art.
Reviewer: Jimg Review refers to DVD version
Jessica Chastain
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