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(USA, 2011 – Rated 14A – 120 min)
Directed by Jeff Nichols
Cast: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham
Curtis LaForche (Shannon) lives in a small town in Ohio with his wife, Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and their six-year-old, hearing impaired daughter Hannah. When Curtis begins to have terrifying dreams, he keeps the visions to himself, channeling his anxiety into obsessively building a storm shelter in his backyard.
His seemingly inexplicable behaviour concerns and confounds those closest to him, but the resulting strain on his marriage and tension within his community can’t compare with Curtis’s privately held fear of what his dreams may truly signify.
Using tone and atmosphere to chilling effect – from the glowering skies and forlorn landscapes, to the ominous chords of the soundtrack and unnerving special effects – Nichols masterfully creates an aura of unease. Together with Shannon’s perfor¬mance, Take Shelter is a disquieting tale for our times that is both deeply unsettling as it is unforgettable.
“The story of a man afflicted with fearful visions, Take Shelter is a film that’s hitting the right apocalyptic trumpet call at the right time.” – Liam Lacy, The Globe and Mail
(Finland, 2011 – Rated PG - 93 min – subtitled)
Directed by Aki Kaurismäki
Cast: Kati Outinen, André Wilms, Jean-Pierre Darroussin
Click here to watch the trailer.
No other contemporary filmmaker manages to blend deadpan, ironic humour with social commentary in quite the same manner as Finnish master Aki Kaurismäki (The Man Without a Past, QFA 2003). An official selection of the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival®, Le Havre has received overwhelming critical acclaim and has recently been named Finland’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film for the 84th Academy Awards®.
(France, 2011 - Rated 14A – 116 min)
Directed by Michel Hazanvicius
Cast: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller