Shelter (2014)

People are voting emotionally.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

This is the story of two NYC homeless people. Tahir (Anthony Mackie) is from an African Nation that politically correct word checks don't allow. He has overstayed his VISA, but they won't ship him back. He is living on the streets playing plastic buckets as drums for donations. He espies Hanna (Jennifer Connelly) another homeless person with a heroin addiction. They do well apart, and their troubles begin when these two people worlds apart come together and try to live as a couple with semi-deep theological discussions.The film shows a little bit about the shelter system, but not enough to be an exposé, just a sad drama. The film is well done and acted, although it does jump a couple of times. For those that like sad slow moving realistic dramas to make their life feel better, this is the one.Guide: F-bomb, implied sex, brief nudity.

I watched this movie by chance yesterday and have not stopped thinking about it since. The ending is so powerful and just overwhelming. The music is haunting. I know some have panned it but the emotions it generates are deeply felt and the dynamic between the actors is great. I find it to be a mild commentary on homelessness and the fact that people could be living a comfortable life in a city and because of some unforeseen event find themselves without shelter.The actual and implied sex scenes are so uncomfortable because of the utter helplessness of Hannah.I hope others find this as thought-provoking as I did.

A love story of to homeless people... living on the streets of new york what the have is nothing except a past that most of us never even think can be happen to people this movie show us the world of the homeless people you think you know how homeless people live there life but you can't feel there pain how they safer every single day you don't know how its feels sleeping on the heard cold streets how its feels to begging others for food and money with weak empty hands...the movie will start by showing Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Mackie characters and including the world of homeless people after that the both characters will fall in love by some reason in the second half they will unveil the past of both the characters and then the story will take twists and turns there will be emotions there will b love hate care under no shelter..... in the end they will learn ho much they love each other they need each other... be proud what you got and always cares for others if every one of us will care for each other then you don't have to be worry about your...sorry for the bad English..

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of New York? A vibrant cityscape? Glitz and glam? Written, produced and directed by Paul Bettany, Shelter is a bleak reminder that even the greatest cities in the world can be extremely unforgiving if time and destiny dictates it.So it is with Tahir (Anthony Mackie), a Nigerian Muslim with an expired visa, and Hannah (Jennifer Connelly), a suicidal heroin junkie. As an illegal immigrant, Tahir cannot seek communal shelter so makes do by scavenging through trash and busking on plastic buckets. When they meet and eventually fall in love, we learn that one is the victim of circumstance and the other by choice. They have different beliefs owing to different backgrounds but they find dependence and strength in each other. He will get her through her drug addiction and reconciled with her estranged family. She will become the only source of redemption for his violent past. Through drip-fed sympathy we feel their anguish, and just when we think it can't get any worse, Bettany settles for none less than a grim ending, but not before forcing Hannah and Tahir through increasingly stomach churning situations.Shelter could have been set in any city but Bettany's story is juxtaposed between New York's opulence and rock bottom poverty. In some ways it is dedicated to the couple who lived outside their Manhattan residence but in many ways it is an eye opening account of a worst case scenario that could befall anyone. It's a dark shade of New York (or any other first world city) we either don't see or choose not to, and that's all the more reason why this story had to be told. But in doing so, Bettany's approach is depressing, repulsive and even melodramatic. If such is the intended effect, Shelter has a lot of it and that's largely due to Connelly's solid performance in portraying the plight of a woman who has nothing left, and because she has nothing left, will do anything to survive. Connelly also looks the part, with bones and veins sticking out of what looks like a malnourished frame. On the other hand, Mackie is either miscast or isn't given much to work with. Besides his faltering Nigerian accent, I can't imagine how his character is so well built for a hungry hobo; unless of course, the physique he has in this film is a fundamental requirement that runs alongside his characters in Marvel superhero films.While there are other questions that go unanswered, including debatable motives from certain characters, a lot of energy is focused on the pathetic situation of a homeless individual. There's no doubt that this is the real world and that poverty can be as devastating as cancer. But even while Bettany's subject matter is loud and clear, his application of Murphy's Law gives away towards a predictable ending with even more melodrama. Overall, you could call it a sophomore effort but there is also every reason to believe that this isn't a directorial attempt for the heck of it. As a first attempt for an actor-turned-director, Bettany gives us a powerful film that hits the heart despite aiming for the head. I sincerely hope there's more where this came from.