Plot: What’s it about?
Carol White (Julianne Moore) lives a comfortable lifestyle, one which seems very normal to her, as it would to most people. She spends her time at home or with friends, as she is quite social and loves to get out and about, to be sure. Her relationship with her husband Greg (Xander Berkeley) has some ups and downs, but is very solid and she even has a young stepson, Rory. She has never had any serious health problems either, until one day when her entire is turned upside down. The basic elements around her, ones she has been exposed to her entire life, have started to inflame her body’s senses, in a most violent fashion. She has trouble breathing, vomits, and sometimes even bleeds, simply by being exposed to normal, everyday chemicals. Her doctor is unable to find anything wrong with her, but she insists these problems aren’t in her head, so he sends to a shrink, who he feels might have some answers. As she becomes weaker and weaker, will Carol discover a way to overcome this illness, or is it all simply inside her head?
The storyline is simple enough in premise, but with such a complex lead character in a complex situation, it is hard to grasp it all the first time around. I suppose you can get the general idea with a solo look, but I think more revisits open up new doors, ones that provoke new thoughts about Carol and her illness. This movie is based on real life cases of environmental illness and after I’d seen Safe, I wanted to learn more about the illness, as it is quite an interesting subject, I think. Some people claim this is a simple anti-chemical pro-environmentalist picture, but I think of Safe more as a subtle thriller, in which we watch as Carol tries to unmask the truth, which is only found within herself. You have to be willing to focus however, as Safe moves at a rather slow pace, with minimal brisk scenes present. But I think it is a very well made movie and worth a look, especially since Criterion has issued a nice, solid disc.
Her performance here is so subtle, almost too much so, but it nails the character and makes Safe as good as it is. I think Haynes supplied some good material for Moore here, but her take often elevates his writing and some cases, saves scenes from sinking, I think. But this is not the kind of role people remember, which means Moore played it to perfection, as her character is not that memorable, just the circumstances around her. Her facial expressions are excellent in this movie, as are her overall mannerisms and vocal delivery, but it is her facial work that always gets me here. Especially her eyes, which seem to vacant and make her seem so desperate, distant from almost everything in her life, except the illness. You can also see Moore in such films as Evolution, Magnolia, Hannibal, Short Cuts, Boogie Nights, and Nine Months. The cast also includes Xander Berkeley (Shanghai Noon, Gattaca), Peter Friedman (The Seventh Sign, Single White Female), and April Grace (Finding Forrester, Playing by Heart).
Video: How’s it look?
This isn’t the kind of movie that’s going to sparkle and encompass every color in the spectrum, quite the opposite in fact. Still, it’s nice to see that Criterion has taken on this project and, as expected, the 1.85:1 AVC HD image has certainly benefitted from the new 4K restoration. Director Todd Haynes supervised it personally as well as the mono soundtrack. That said, Safe has a very unique look to it. There’s a fine element of grain that persists throughout. I haven’t seen this in about 15 years, so I can’t really recall how this compares to the original DVD put out by Sony, but I’m willing to bet that this is a significant jump in quality. As we can expect from Criterion, the image is the best it’s ever looked. Another fine effort.
Audio: How’s it sound?
As mentioned above, Safe sports a mono track but that’s not always as “bad” as it might seem. This is the type of movie that doesn’t really need to rely on 7, 9 or 11 channels of audio to convey the message. The vocals sound sharp, crisp and clean and without any distortion in the least. Granted, with only one channel, the dynamic range is limited, but it’s really of no consequence. This is one of those movies that let’s the acting and dialogue really tell the tale and this mono track has no discernible errors that I noticed.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The original DVD put out by Sony contained a commentary track and I believe that was it. Criterion has added a bit of icing to the cake. Let’s take a look.
- Audio Commentary – Haynes has some interesting comments, while Moore shares her views on the character and film. I was very taken with this session, as lots of great information is passed between the three participants, although Haynes seems to be most present speaker, as expected.
- Todd Haynes and Julianne Moore – New to this Blu-ray is a new interview with star Julianne Moore and director Todd Haynes. It’s always nice to see these as a major star like Moore takes the time to reflect and remember a movie that really gave her attention. It’s a pretty interesting interview and fans will enjoy it.
- The Suicide – One of Haynes’ short films, this one is circa 1978.
- Christine Vachon Interview – Producer of the film, Christine Vachon, is also featured. She gives a pretty candid interview with details about the production, the metaphor for the AIDS crisis and the film’s subsequent acclaim.
- Theatrical Trailer
- Illustrated Booklet – As is the standard with Criterion films, an illustrated booklet is included as is an essay by film critic Dennis Lim.
