"satan-worshiping mountain witches, ancient curses, a women who sees through the eyes of a child, a mystery virus, a mystery symbol, a mystery spirit"
Julianne Moore next career move can be found in the puzzling thriller written by Michael Cooney (Jack Frost). Shelter follows a female forensic psychiatrist (Moore) who specialises in debunking multiple personality disorder. When she discovers that her latest patient’s various personalities are all murder victims, she struggles to find a logical explanation for the man’s delusion.
The screenwriter really went for it - satan-worshiping mountain witches, ancient curses, a women who sees through the eyes of a child, a mystery virus, a mystery symbol, a mystery spirit... However, within ten minutes most viewers will have figured out the puzzle yet they will be unaware of the tortuous route it will take to drag to its conclusion. Shelter is as a lesson for aspiring screenwriters in what to avoid.
I thought that both Julianne Moore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers gave good performances, the film started well and I was absorbing an intriguing premise until an unconvincing plot twist left me stranded. The script is nowhere as clever as it thinks it is and the setup in general a recipe for mediocrity. Shelter is still reasonably unsettling to the casual filmgoer if you're looking for a creepy night at the cinema with your friends and there isn't a better option - then I'd say sure, why not.
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