Hideout (2011) is a psychological drama that could have been a masterpiece (but it came out great as is)

I think it’s going to rain

Great idea, great Shannon, but slow plot

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Have you ever had one of those times when you liked a movie but felt it could have been better? Perhaps you weren’t satisfied with the direction, the script didn’t seem cohesive, or some of the actors were out of place.

I’m sure this has happened to all of us. After watching it, we start thinking about what could have been changed or added to make the movie even better.

One such movie for me was Hideout, a psychological drama that, despite not the highest audience ratings, managed to win awards at various film festivals. In this article, I want to tell you about this movie (with some spoilers), as well as what I liked about it and what could have been improved.

CinemaPoix rating – 6.7

IMDb rating – 7.3

Starring Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Tovah Stewart, Shay Wigham, Katie Mixon and more.

Directed by Jeff Nichols

Country: USA Genre: Drama, Thriller Year: 2011

I think it’s going to rain

The movie Hideout was created by director Jeff Nichols, who likes to make independent and deep dramatic works. Some of them, such as the film Mud (2012) with Matthew McConaughey, received critical acclaim. However, Shelter was only the second film in the director’s career and was released a year before Mud, in 2011.

First it is worth telling you about the plot of the picture. Curtis Laforsch is a simple worker who lives in a small town in Ohio with his unemployed wife Samantha and daughter Hannah, who recently lost her hearing. Despite many hardships, his life could be called a happy one…. until he began to suffer terrifyingly realistic nightmares.

In his dreams, he sees a big storm with a tornado, an encounter that would be difficult for anyone to survive. Curtis is so scared that he builds a storm shelter in his backyard, getting into more debt and losing his job and his best friend. He begins to wonder if he’s losing his mind. Or maybe he really can see the future?

Great idea, great Shannon, but slow plot

The movie Shelter tells the dramatic story of the main character who lives with a heavy burden. The intrigue of the movie lies in the fact that until the very finale we do not know what is happening to him – whether he has really gone mad or has become a prophet who foresees trouble. However, we will get the answer to this question only at the end of the movie.

First of all, it is worth mentioning the merits of this movie. Its idea is quite interesting and, as I have already mentioned, it contains intrigue, which helps to keep the audience at the screens. In addition, the movie touches on several important themes that help to deepen the understanding of the movie.

First, we see Curtis, the main character, whose mother has been diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the age of 30. After that, she spends the rest of her life in an asylum for the insane. This is important to say, as the protagonist begins to worry that his mother’s illness may have been inherited and that his dreams and visions are just creepy hallucinations.

Curtis realizes that there are certain problems with his psyche, and he starts seeing a therapist. However, instead of starting in-depth treatment, he decides to build a safe haven. Thus, the hero deep down believes in the possibility that he foresees the impending danger and therefore does everything to protect his wife and daughter.

Second, Curtis has a great burden of responsibility: he is the only worker in the family, and he has a deaf-mute daughter who needs an expensive operation. When the hero decides to build a shelter, he takes a loan for this purpose against the security of the house, loses his job, friends and spends all the money set aside for his daughter’s operation. But worst of all, his marriage is on the verge of breaking up.

The hero finds himself under tremendous stress, and not every perfectly healthy person would be able to endure such a thing.

The question arises: why does Curtis build this shelter? To save his family from the storm or to hide in it from his own fears and the problems around him? Both options seem to have some truth to them.

In addition to an interesting idea, the movie is characterized by a well thought-out ending, which leaves room for reflection on the fate of the hero and his family. Nevertheless, after watching the movie, you may have only one interpretation of what you have seen, which is quite normal for a work that can awaken the viewer’s imagination.

Perhaps the biggest plus point of the movie is the acting. The secondary actors, including the girl-daughter of the main characters, coped well with their roles. And especially worth noting is actress Jessica Chastain, who performed a difficult image of the main character’s wife Samantha. She sees her husband’s insanity, but at the same time tries to support him in almost everything and be close to him. The scene in the shelter is a benefit for this talented actress, showing how she can vividly portray not only strong and strong-willed women, but also simple vulnerable heroines.

I’ve always thought Michael Shannon was a great actor, capable of outshining any scene in a movie. And I even feel sorry that he usually plays supporting roles. However, he got the lead role in Shelter, and I must say, he showed all the facets of his talent.

Shannon convincingly played a man with mental problems, and you believe him throughout the movie. Many believe that the actor in this movie played his best role, and I quite agree with this. Michael Shannon masterfully embodied his image and certainly deserved at least a nomination for an Academy Award, but the Academy overlooked him.

I liked the movie Hideout overall, but I wish the director had changed or reworked a few things that could have made it even better.

1) Shortening of the movie. The timing of the film is 2 hours, and all those who criticize it, note the length of many scenes, and the action itself seems dull to them. Indeed, it would have been possible to reduce the movie by 20-30 minutes without losing quality. This would have helped to make it more exciting and interesting for the audience, and they would not fall asleep after the first hour of viewing.

2) More characters. Although I praised the supporting actors, they mostly act as extras in the movie. Therefore, I would have liked to see more characters on screen who either had some impact on the plot and characters or were just interesting. After all, except for the hero played by Shay Wigham, there are no other memorable characters in the movie.

3) Add some touches to the script. It’s not really clear in the picture why the whole town immediately considered Curtis a madman. Yes, there is a scene in the dining room, where the hero is snapping at others, but it is not enough to convey the feeling of Curtis‘ complete detachment from the outside world.

Also, a few scenes could have been added to the script diluting the movie (assuming it is cut down by 20-30 minutes). Also, the dialogs could have been more elaborate.

Of course, it is not a fact that Shelter would immediately become much better with such changes, but more watchable for the mass audience – for sure. Although the movie has already found its audience, as evidenced by a decent audience rating – 7.3 points on IMDb .

However, in my opinion, if the authors had made at least one of the suggested changes, the movie could have shone with new colors and would have been better. But that’s just my guess.

Hideout is an interesting and thoughtful drama that explores the human psyche against the backdrop of insanity or the gift of foresight. The movie turned out to be serious and even too serious, so you should not expect excessive positive emotions from it. But if you like such pictures, then I recommend you to watch Hideout . Perhaps you will like it even more than me, and you will not find any flaws in it.