Memorable, crazy movie

Fresh and Exciting

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Paul Bettany directs his wife Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Mackie, alongside a supporting cast featuring Rob Morgan, Amy Hargreaves, and Bruce Altman. The acting i thought was superb and it shows that true love can be found everywhere even when you live on the streets and you're a hobo. Connelly is a drug addict she has a family, she lost someone and Mackie's character also has a troubled past that is why i loved this film the direction was amazing Bettany throws things about their past in every scene and it feels so powerful and you feel something about the 2 leads that wins you over and this film totally won me over.

SHELTER is a masterpiece of realism, love and forgiveness that will come into its own as it ages. The two lovers, Hanna and Tahir, are bound together by loss and tragedy as they struggle to rise above themselves and their wounds in an uncaring world.Played on at his weakest moment, illegal immigrant Tahir (Anthony Mackie) falls into bottomless guilt for once being a member of the radical Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram in Nigeria. With painful obsession he prays for redemption for his participation in burning down schools, hospitals and for the unspeakable, brutal murders of thousands of innocent people including women and children.Jennifer Connelly (Hannah) makes her acting comeback with a splash as she navigates her own depression and suicidal attempt while grieving the death of her surgeon husband whose plane was shot down at the hands of a similar terrorist group. It becomes evident that Hannah must forgive Tahir and his evil past in order to escape the NYC streets.Hannah is redeemed by her luminous, loving humanity and indestructible bravado, but she has earned it by surviving on the streets. Unfortunately the anguished Tahir is forced to finally accept that he is damaged beyond his ability to redeem his violent past when he once again resorts to his most primitive expression of mindless violence and in the end decides the only way for him to find ultimate redemption is to be reunited with his maker and the pure innocence of his young murdered son (at the hands of Nigerian terrorists).SHELTER concerns itself with what's happening in our world today as ISIS invades our own country. Can you forgive the Godless, senseless violence of the terrorists that have taken away your loved one without embracing them as Tahinr did? Bottom line is that you have to 'let it go' or you will be consumed by your own personal mix of hate, revenge and finally guilt. That is if you actually are a decent, sane person.

Review: What an emotional movie! The acting from Jennifer Connelly, who plays Hannah and Anthony Mackie, Tahir, is superb and the deep story, about 2 homeless, lost souls who fall in love and struggle to live on the streets of New York, is brilliant. When Tahir becomes ill during a brutal winter, Hannah tries her hardest to find accommodation for them both, and she goes to the extreme to buy medication for Tahir. These 2 characters, really came from 2 different world's but when they join forces to find money, food and accommodation, there emotional journey goes from one extreme to another. The chemistry between Tahir and Hannah is excellent and very believable and the ending did bring a tear to my eye. Hannah is a heroin addict, who sadly lost her husband to a terrorist attack and she left her little boy with her father while she lives on the streets, finding ways to fund her habit. Tahir is a African immigrant who lives in America illegally and lost his wife and young boy, in a brutal way, in Africa. There are some different elements to the plot, which made this film quite enjoyable and the fact that many people are losing there houses and have to use food banks and shelter to live nowadays, gives this movie a truthful look into the extent that the homeless have to go to, just to make it through one day to the next. Anyway, I enjoyed this emotional drama but it's a shame that it didn't get the big distribution treatment that it deserved. Enjoyable!Round-Up: This is the first movie, written and directed by Paul Bettany, 44, whose known for acting in some top class movies. He was brilliant in A Knights Tale and A Beautiful Mind in 2001 and quite scary as Silas in the Da Vinci Code. His voice became worldwide known when he starred in Iron Man as Jarvis and when he changed into human form in Avengers: Age of Ultron, it set a path for yet another superhero. For his directional debut, he really did pick a deep subject, which will touch many hearts and he done a great job by getting the most out of the top class actors. I recommend this movie to people who are into their dramas starring Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Mackie and Bruce Altman. 7/10

This film moved me... or rather made me look at things a little differently I suppose. I normally give money to panhandlers, buy them a hot meal whenever I can. Where I live, homelessness is an issue that people don't concern themselves with as much as New York because the climate is warmer, and people generally survive easier I suppose. But this movie made me think about those individuals who are struggling in a deeper way.Shelter takes place over the course of a few seasons in New York city. A tough place to be, and even tougher if you're homeless. It's hard to get by, and there is no shortage of people who are willing to take advantage of you. We are introduced to two such individuals played aptly by Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Mackie. Two different lives that simply interact one day, and forever changes their paths. Both are on the street for different reasons, and both have their own demons to deal with. Their paths intertwine and they begin to show real promise, as a couple just down on their luck, just looking for and hoping for any real opportunity to dig themselves out of the hole they are in.What really sticks with you is how utterly believable the situations are. Most movies about homelessness, usually with a huge celebrity attached to it are much harder for me to believe, but with this cast and story it was so easy to fall into. Times are tough all over the world, and New York is probably more susceptible than most cities to find yourself in hard times and taken advantage of. I feel very grateful to not have been in any of the situations you witness in this film, but I promise you, it will make you think about those who are.An excellent first story from writer/director Paul Bettany.7/10