Film Club # 1: Take Shelter (2011) – Discussion Thread

Dogsdodogsstuff · 08-05-2026 05:05PM #1

A few people showed interest in trying out a sort of film club idea - pick a film (anything really, old or new), watch it if you fancy it and then chat about it here.

No pressure or rules, just something casual to see what people make of the same film.

Kicking things off with this one:

https://youtu.be/hUraDx3oFVg?si=yB8k2UQ-PSY3fbB-

This thread is just for chatting about the film above.

If you’d like to get involved, offer film suggestions or discuss the idea further here:

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058438232/film-club-watch-a-movie-and-discuss-even-a-movie-you-ve-seen-before

breadbin · 11-05-2026 08:57AM

I watched this last night and went in completely blind. Didn't read a synopsis or anything so had no clue what it was about. As such I was waiting for 'something' to happen for the entire movie. At one stage Curtis is having a dream where he and the daughter are in the car and he drives it off the road and they get attacked by zombie-like people and I thought to myself, this is it…but it wasn't.

As time went on I began to realise that it wasn't going to be a disaster movie or zombie flick but more of a psychological drama focusing on the collapsing mental health of our hero. His life was falling apart around him and he was hellbent on making this shelter which I presume is a symbolic representation of his family.

It was quite a slow moving film, but not too slow as to be boring. I was surprised to see the brother Kyle turn up because from earlier in the film I got the impression that Kyle had died somehow. I don't rightly understand the reasoning of giving the dog to the brother but I'll be thinking about it as time goes on. A dog is traditionally seen as the "protector" so did he get Red out of harms way to protect the dog or so that Red could protect the brother? I think it is a clever way of showing us the turmoil going on in Curtis' head. If someone is struggling mentally and needs shelter, then the last thing they should do is give away their protection.

And why was the daughter deaf? It could have easily worked without her being deaf. Her deafness was I think, a sort of super-power giving her a natural defence from the storm and especially thunder. One scene where Curtis is working with his friend and he starts hearing the claps of thunder but the friend doesn't, the daughter is infinitely protected from this sort of bombardment. It ties in very well with the symbolism of the physical shelter and the familial shelter. Similarly, as the parents are committed to her getting fitted with cochlear implants, this action will remove the protection that she has and hence degrade the shelters it provides. I thought it was funny how when Curtis lost his job it would usually be a huge disaster but in doing so it meant Hannah? would not be in a position to get the cochlear implants and so would still be protected from the storm. So even in his madness, he was doing the right thing to protect those around him who would in turn be protecting him.

I don't understand the ending too much, I know he was with the Psychiatrist who delivered the bombshell that he would have to leave his family, is this the real storm that they all could see now? Is this the final boss? They are on the beach enjoying a tiny calm before the literal storm of going to an institution for therapy without his family. The shelter he tried so hard to build and strengthen, the shelter he would have to leave behind.

Thanks for recommending this film, I would never have seen it otherwise. I enjoyed thinking about it again and writing about my thoughts. It's not something I usually do so it was fun. Again, doing this blind, I'm sure there are experts and professional tear downs dissecting this film out there but this is just a few things I noticed. Look forward to seeing what others think about the film.

Dogsdodogsstuff · 11-05-2026 09:36PM

Sorry for the rambling in advance, I’m not always great at putting my thoughts into cohesive read.

I rewatched the movie I first saw around the time it was released and a lot of what I remember and felt resonated. The thing that always struck me was how important it is, for any mental health situation, for a person to have trusted love ones who will “get in the hole with you”. Since I originally watched this when it was released , with the loss of my own dad and COVID (just before it kicked off and it felt like end of the world) it resonates even more.

Early doors Curtis knows something is wrong and tries to hide it from everyone, which ironically disconnects him more from his family as it’s the one thing in the world he doesn’t want to lose or leave. Reading the mental health book in the shelter felt almost like the shelter was where he could hide his “dirty secret” as it became a manifestation of the impending doom he felt was coming.

Curtis most content moments were when he was having a moment with his wife and child. The dreams were beautiful at showing how they can manifest in your life and begin to build a sense of dread. I’ve had sleep paralysis, night terrors and regularly dreamt of tsunamis when I was younger and remember how profoundly scary they could be and it could set the tone for a day or so.

On a personal note I have met somebody with schizophrenia since watching the movie (oddly similar , mother with it in 30s and son started showing similar symptoms like Curtis in adulthood) and they said something that really made this movie feel more profound. As they told me an absolutely unbelievable and unhinged story , as I tried to interject, they said “I know how this sounds, but I need you to just listen”.

It’s exactly what Curtis needed and his wife handled him with dignity , love , reassurance and an assertive understanding. “You need to open the door Curtis if you want to stay with us”. So simple , yet profound. We are here in the shelter with you but you need to open the door or you end up staying down here without us. We want to leave with you, not leave you behind.

The ending is a funny one but the simplest suggestion is that it’s a dream, another knightmare. He’s told he has to leave his family which is his biggest fear. Other things that make me think it was a dream was that they originally said they couldn’t go on holidays as he lost his job but in the dream sure they will just go on a holiday and his wife doesn’t seem too upset.

But the difference and the thing that offers some hope is that in the dream , his family aren’t trying to hurt him and don’t even look like they are in danger. They are with him , they see what he fears and they will deal with it together.

@bresdbin, glad you enjoyed it and I think you have a perfect read of the movie.

Love this read, especially the point about Hannah’s deafness as a kind of protection. I hadn’t really thought of it that way at all. I was more focused on the shelter/family angle, but your point makes me wonder if the film is constantly asking what actually protects us , the physical shelter, the family, the dog, even Hannah’s deafness.

I took the dog being given away as a huge sign he’s starting to unravel. He only put the dog out the back originally, some part of him was trying to not let the fear take over. I think when he gives up the dog he’s giving into fear entirely. I actually watched it with my dog beside me and like you say I feel more protected with my dog but she’s also a therapy dog of sorts. Dogs are excellent readers of their owners state , maybe giving up the dog was “the illness disposing of one of its biggest antidotes”? Maybe I’m over reading it!

I found your final scene interpretation fascinating. I was so focused on my own binary interpretation, I hadn’t considered it was a final test or even that he was right all along. Perhaps being hyper sensitive to the world and weather , like the way birds (used in the movie to imply some sort of oncoming threat imminent).

I would be interested to hear what others thought of the oily rain, not sure myself what that was supposed to represent. Some sort of toxin or was it like a pre-warning that some feeling of impending doom was coming ?

breadbin · 12-05-2026 07:51PM

It's great to actually think about movies like this after you watch them, I hope others contribute too. I would normally have just switched off and not given a second thought to this and proceed onto the next movie but this opens your eyes.

The oily rain, I noticed it was brown rain in the early scene and didn't pay much heed after that. One thing I have thought about now that you mention it is one of the treatments for schizophrenia is Clozaril which is a depot injection which is really thick and oily. Same colour as the rain actually but not sure about the connection and like who is this director that would know that? It must mean something to the director to have him include it. It's very specific.

Also unlike regular rain, the thick oily rain would be more difficult to get rid of. Grasping as straws now:)

I also have a dog and it would literally kill me to get rid of her. I honestly don't think I could live with myself if I gave her away. Like I understand they die and we move on but to actually get rid of her is not something I could do. It's a huge pointer to his collapsing mental health in the film.

I understand where you are coming from with the final scene. They don't have money for the holiday to the beach and it could definitely be a dream or hallucination either but remember when he was looking at the huge electrical storm in the car earlier and he asked "can nobody else see this?" but then in this scene they are all seeing it? As an aside I love watching electrical storms. I would have loved to see that lightning and listen to the thunder. It is a pity we don't much of it here in Ireland. Once or twice a year and i'll be out with my sound recorder:)

Fantastic film and really well put together and especially no holes! Not yet anyway.

EthelMercaptan · 12-05-2026 07:57PM

I must have seen this shortly after its release so I can't provide any meaningful analysis beyond it really sticking in the memory and providing an ambiguous but still satisfying ending.

Dogsdodogsstuff · 13-05-2026 09:08AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124463558#Comment_124463558

Totally agree , I’ve been thinking about it more since I watched again.

I think you are right about the oily rain , it’s someway connected to the Mental illness. Whether it be the color of the meds like you say and/or signalling the start of the illness (rain representing “something’s not right”).

I think your commends on it being “thick oily rain that he finds hard to get rid of” could be more relevant then you thought. It could very well be interpreted that theres on oncoming Mental illness he can’t simply wash off. Maybe im over thinking it now, but our dreams can certainly feel like there’s elements of our sub conscious floating around so it’s a solid read breadbin.

Dogsdodogsstuff · 13-05-2026 09:11AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124463570#Comment_124463570

Whatever read people take for ending I think it’s oddly hopeful. The therapist told him his worst fears, he has to leave his family , but he’s still able to enjoy time with them on the beach.

Either way His daughter sees the danger before him (just just enjoying her company). His wife sees it. They don’t panic. But They are all together, they are not abandoning him.

His family aren’t making it worse or attacking him (like his dreams), they are staying close with him whether it’s a metaphorical or physical storm. Hes not alone and not AS afraid as he usually was.

Maybe the ending was real but the storm wasn’t really there or as bad as we saw it in Curtis eyes and his wife was mostly humouring him calmly (like she did in the shelter). I know the daughter sees it first but maybe she saw something random ?(prob a stretch)

Film Club # 1: Take Shelter (2011) – Discussion Thread

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