When Curtis (Michael Shannon) begins having nightmares of an encroaching, apocalyptic storm, he refrains from telling his wife, Samantha (Jessica Chastain). To protect her and their six-year-old deaf daughter Hannah, Curtis starts focusing his anxiety and money into the obsessive building of a storm shelter. While Hannah’s healthcare and special needs education has resulted in financial struggle, Curtis’ seemingly inexplicable behavior concerns Samantha and provokes intolerance among co-workers, friends and neighbors. However, the resulting strain on his marriage and tension within the community doesn’t compare to Curtis’ private fear of what his disturbing dreams may truly signify.
When Curtis (Michael Shannon) begins having nightmares of an encroaching, apocalyptic storm, he refrains from telling his wife, Samantha (Jessica Chastain). To protect her and their six-year-old deaf daughter Hannah, Curtis starts focusing his anxiety and money into the obsessive building of a storm shelter. While Hannah’s healthcare and special needs education has resulted in financial struggle, Curtis’ seemingly inexplicable behavior concerns Samantha and provokes intolerance among co-workers, friends and neighbors. However, the resulting strain on his marriage and tension within the community doesn’t compare to Curtis’ private fear of what his disturbing dreams may truly signify.
"The movie makes you uncomfortable, but in a good way. Nichols has turned the current moment of American unease into a powerful metaphor."
New Yorker
"It is a quiet, relentless exploration of the latent (and not so latent) terrors that bedevil contemporary American life, a horror movie that will trouble your sleep not with visions of monsters but with a more familiar dread."
New York Times
"Michael Shannon gives himself over completely to a complex role and leaves you shattered. Director Jeff Nichols throws curveballs, but his film is unique and unforgettable."
Rolling Stone