Shelter is an interesting dystopia about people who live in a giant bunker
Miscellaneous / / May 06, 2023
A potential hit from Apple TV+.
On May 5, Apple TV+ premiered the first two episodes of The Shelter. The project will appeal to fans of dystopias.
Shelter (originally Silo) is based on the book of the same name by Hugh Howie. The series' showrunner is Graham Yost, who worked on The Americans, Slow Horses, and Sneaky Pete. Directed by Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game).
Starring Rebecca Ferguson (Dune), David Oyelowo (Interstellar), Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption), Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation).
The series tells about people who have been living in a 144-story bunker for several generations. They believe that coming out of hiding will lead to certain death. The leaders of the bunker completely control the life of the population, including pregnancy. An ordinary couple, Alison and Bernard, get permission to have a baby. After unsuccessful attempts to conceive, Alison decides that doctors are interfering with her. She begins her own investigation in an attempt to find out how the bunker came to be and who really runs it. When Alison gets in trouble, Juliet, an engineer, continues her endeavors.
There are strict rules in the world of the series, but no one understands who invented them. Authoritarian power rests on fear and ignorance of the people. From the very first minutes, the colors thicken to the maximum. You immediately feel the danger that threatens the inhabitants of the bunker - you can be punished for misinformation, as well as for voicing doubts about the rules. A spoken desire to leave the shelter leads to the expulsion of a person.
At the same time, "Shelter" gives out information about the bunker in small portions. The viewer receives information from individual characters who themselves know practically nothing - they live on different floors. The general idea on which the rules of the bunker are built is left aside.
Obviously, this is the right move, since too detailed pronunciation of the main idea often spoils dystopias - Divergent with its predictability can easily turn out. "Shelter" manages to maintain a mystique that makes it similar to last year's "Separation". The gradual, albeit very slow, study of the world is captivating.
It is logical that in the absence of a global idea (as in the British TV series Utopia), a different angle is used, and the story is built around individual people. The characters turned out to be voluminous, so it is interesting to watch them. In addition, they are alive, with quite ordinary desires, so it is easy to sympathize with them. Not only do they know little about the bunker, but they also do not understand where they can get information.
The viewer makes his way through ignorance with them. Of course, almost all attention is drawn to Juliet. Partly because she's flamboyant (an aggressive engineer with a lot of complaints about the interior of the bunker), partly because she's played by Rebecca Ferguson, who knows how to show nerve and hatred.
However, the entire cast is excellent. Rashida Jones is especially surprising. She is a great comedian. And therefore it is unexpected to watch her dramatic game, especially so bright - her brilliant performance (reminiscent of Elisabeth Moss in "The Handmaid's Tale”) in the first episode sets the mood for the entire series.
And Tim Robbins, who plays the evil warden, is a real decoration of the show. He is ready to punish anyone who allows himself to doubt the rules of the bunker.
Despite its external closeness and compactness (“Shelter” is more reminiscent of “Through the Snow” than “1984”), the series incorporates all the main elements of a totalitarian state. There is censorship, and control over the female body, and fear-mongering from an external threat. One could easily slip into kitsch in the spirit of the worst Black Mirror episodes, but the authors are very careful about these topics.
At the same time, the closed space allows the viewer to feel all the fears of the inhabitants - if he committed a crime, then he will not be able to escape. And the visuals (dim lamps, gray walls, unremarkable clothes) make it possible to interpret the totalitarian state as a prison.
The series also has a completely religious connotation, but it can hardly be judged by two episodes. However, this kind of interpretation suggests itself.
Shelter is a curious series that is difficult to judge from two episodes. It requires attention and patience from the viewer - it is not a fact that even in 10 announced episodes, secrets about the origin and functioning of the bunker will be revealed. Luckily, the excellent acting and the presence of small mysteries make it worth it to get to the end of the story.
Read also🧐
- Is it worth watching "Love and Death" - a series in which Elizabeth Olsen beats off her lover with an ax
- "Guardians of the Galaxy. Part 3" is a great, but too dark ending to the story. Let's talk without spoilers
- "Bound to Death". Why watch two Rachel Weisz in a brilliant Cronenberg-inspired thriller
- Liters of blood, bloodthirsty mother and gags. "Rise of the Evil Dead" laughs and scares the hell out of
- "All Fears Bo" is wonderful. He's like a crazy dream that Joaquin Phoenix lives in