Safe

Safe (1995) ****

Directed by Todd Haynes
Written by Todd Haynes

Starring:
Julianne Moore as Carol White
Peter Friedman as Peter Dunning
Xander Berkeley as Greg White
Susan Norman as Linda
Kate McGregor-Stewart as Claire
Mary Carver as Nell
Steven Gilborn as Dr. Hubbard
April Grace as Susan

119 Minutes(Rated R for a sex scene and brief language. )
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I was strangely effected by "Safe" and if one thing could be said, it's that I was glad that the IFC Center in Manhattan ran a midnight screening of it, because even though it does not contain any large action scenes or special effects images, this is a very private film to watch, and the only way to see it, at least for the first time if you want the initial effect that I had, is to see it on a big screen, sit close, make sure you see nobody in the background, and just let it wash over you. You will feel sad. You will feel depressed. You will feel creeped out. And in the end it is just some social commentary about identity, but the script by Todd Haynes-"Far From Heaven" and this year's "I'm Not There,"-combined with the amazing work by Julianne Moore-and this is easily one of the best performances I've ever seen her do-makes an unforgettable experience.

Moore plays Carol White, a housewife with a stepson and her husband Greg. We've seen Moore in housewife mode before-or after as the film "Far From Heaven" was made year's later. But this is a different look at the housewife that "Far From Heaven" shows. That film makes them into the most important part of the family-as a homage to the 50's television shows and Technicolor movies that we've seen. "Safe" shows them-and in this case suburban women-as dangerous people. It's dangerous to be in this situation because you will lose yourself. And that is what happens. Every now and then, when she's not buying a new couch for his living room or doing exercises at a gym, Carol decides to make a tiny change. One of them is changing her hairstyle-instead of making it tight up she decides to make a perm. And this little natural act of change ends with her nose bleeding. But her sickness does not stop there. Soon she is throwing up, coughing hysterically, and having trouble breathing. The doctor says that she is healthy. And when she sees a poster advertising "ARE YOU SMELLING FUMES?" she begins to think that she is allergic to the 20th century-and joins a support group of people "like her" in a quest to get better again.

The second half of the film takes place at a doctor/resort for people that are suffering from the same ailments as Carol, and its here where the dark and sad and depressing scenes come, even though it is supposed to be something joyous. Its quite obvious that Carol is going through the most ridiculous treatment ever, and as viewers we are able to decipher what is really wrong with her. And we wonder if its possible that she could ever get better. But when she walks around an abandoned farmland with a breathing machine and tubes around her nose, you will watch with extreme sadness and a disturbing feeling with come across you like no other. "Safe" effected me like no movie has before. I was angry that Carol could not see the obvious-her artificial and material life ended up turning her into something else. She forgot who she was, and she is not in touch with the "self" that she once was or should be or could be. As she tries to go back into that world, slowly, her new self cannot accept that and she begins to get ill. This world was safe for her, and as she lets go she ends up in a world that may be safer, but safe does not help in life. Life isn't safe.

Julianne Moore is terrific in this and has never been better. She really bares all in this film, and I don't mean literally. From the start you could tell that she is different from the other women that she knows, but sadly she conforms to them just a little bit. Supporting work by actors like Xander Berkeley (who reminds me of Bruce Willis in the eyes) are well done, but nobody is as good as Moore. Many scenes in the film are also creepy, from the opening credit sequence that is something out of David Lynch to a bit where Moore is driving a car in a fit of cough. We don't know what is wrong with her, but there is. And the artificial party scenes-like a baby shower sequence-are so plastic and fake that its sick to watch. And Haynes does it well. He is not flashy, often letting us look at images for a while to become a part of them. "Safe" is not quick, but it is great. Look for it on video, but certainly look for a theatre screening.