What it’s about
Curtis (Shannon) is a regular guy in a small Midwestern town, working construction to support wife Samantha (Chastain) and deaf daughter Hanna (Stewart). After Curtis starts having dreams and hallucinations suggesting an impending apocalypse, he seeks help for what he assumes is schizophrenia, which runs in his family. Still, he becomes obsessed with building a storm shelter in his backyard. This expensive and baffling endeavor puts Curtis’s marriage, job, and friendships at risk. The question is: is Curtis just going nuts, or does he possess a rare psychic gift to see into the future?
Why we love it
Jeff Nichols's creepily contemplative nail-biter seamlessly combines an unnerving doomsday scenario with a tale of encroaching mental illness and paranoia. To his credit, Nichols is confident enough in his story and his players to let the dread build gradually, but we're still pretty much hooked from the outset. Shannon stands out in a star-making, Oscar-worthy turn as the tortured protagonist. Horror and suspense fans, this little sleeper is sure to keep you up at night.