Safe: Todd Haynes' Early Mystery-Drama Gets an Upgrade (Criterion 4K/Blu-ray)

The Film:

Todd Haynes is another one of those filmmakers who's not exactly a household name, at least not among more casual movie-going audiences, but over the past 35 years, he's delivered several well-received films that have included "Far from Heaven" (which earned him an Oscar nod for Best Original Screenplay), "I'm Not There," and "Carol" (for which he received BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations for Best Director).

One of his earliest projects, his second film in fact, was a little drama called "Safe." While it wasn't much of an awards player, it received decent reviews at the time, and is commonly cited as an early example of Haynes' talent behind the camera. With the film having celebrated its 30th anniversary just last year, Criterion is putting it in the spotlight by giving it a stunning 4K upgrade and including the handful of extras from the previous Blu-ray release, so now it's time to revisit it to see just how well it's managed to hold up over the last three decades. Does this early work of a now-acclaimed director perhaps deserve more than the okay reception it received back then?

Taking place in 1987 Los Angeles, the film follows Carol White (Julianne Moore), who lives with her husband Greg (Xander Berkeley) and stepson Rory (Chauncey Leopardi). As a housewife, she spends her time doing designs for their home, going to exercise classes, and socializing with her friends. One day, her seemingly-ordinary life gets turned upside down when she finds herself getting sick with no explanation, with incidents including getting a nosebleed at a a hair salon, a panic attack at a baby shower, and severe coughing after being exposed to a truck's fumes. When doctors are unable to find the answer, she turns to a community called Wrenwood, which is for people who believe that the environment is making them sick. Will they be able to give her the help that she's desperately seeking?

"Safe" is quite the odd little film. On the surface, it's a kind of mildly-intriguing mystery that has an ordinary woman trying to figure out why she's suddenly become ill, but not being able to find any physical reason. However, digging a little deeper, we find what could be called a psychological drama, or even horror, for when no physical reason presents itself to explain her sickness, the next logical question to ask is if the problem lies somewhere in her head. That said, even with psychotherapy, no explanation is forthcoming, leading to even more extreme attempts at dealing with her sudden condition.

The film's set-up is indeed a fascinating one, for it's a situation that could go in a number of compelling directions, which makes it a bit disappointing to find that Haynes has a little trouble doing just that. We follow Carol as her condition worsens and as she tries to get answers, but as far as actual developments go, the film is rather light, preferring to merely observe her condition & her attempts to get better, which don't really get anywhere. This eventually leads to her joining a commune of similar individuals, a change that you would think would finally lead to further development, but sadly we find that very little changes, all of which leads up to an intentionally ambiguous ending that merely reiterates Haynes' strange reluctance to really delve into the story.

As mentioned, it is a mildly-intriguing mystery, one that has you going along with it for a while in hopes of it taking off in a compelling, unexpected direction, but at the end of these two hours, you can't help but feel that Haynes didn't really have much to say other than that there are people like this, people who seemingly get sick for no reason & will join a cult-like community in desperation if they think it even has a chance of helping. While you do have to hand it to Julianne Moore for delivering a strong performance, in a role that is widely considered her breakthrough, it's just a shame that the screenplay wasn't as strong, nor as fully-developed as it should have been.

In the end, we're left with a fascinating idea that needed a little more thought & care put into it. The bones are there, as is Haynes' talent as a director, but having it be such a passive, straightforward look at this character wasn't really the best choice as far as an approach to this narrative, ultimately making for a film that was a fine showcase for its director & star, but which doesn't linger in one's memory for very long.

Video/Audio:

"Safe" comes to 4K in a 1.85:1, 2160p Ultra High Definition transfer of marvelous quality. The new 4K digital restoration, approved by Haynes himself, has the film looking beautifully sharp & clear throughout the entire 119-minute duration. Likewise, the uncompressed monaural soundtrack is fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue & music in excellent quality. Overall, as usual, Criterion has done an amazing job in both areas for the film's new upgrade.

Special Features:

Commentary with Director Todd Haynes, Actor Julianne Moore, and Producer Christine Vachon

The Suicide (21 Minutes): A short film by Todd Haynes from 1978.

Todd Haynes and Julianne Moore (36 Minutes): A conversation from 2014 in which the two discuss their working relationship.

Christine Vachon (16 Minutes): An interview from 2014 in which the producer discusses her collaboration with Haynes.

Conclusion:

Todd Haynes' "Safe" has a mildly-intriguing mystery on its surface, some psychological horror underneath, and a strong, breakout performance from star Julianne Moore, but sadly its premise is one that its writer/director doesn't really know what to do with, leading to a rather passive look at its main character that doesn't offer much in the way of compelling developments, and ultimately making for a somewhat forgettable early outing from the acclaimed filmmaker.

Score: 3/5

Now available on Criterion 4K/Blu-ray.

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