Wall

ambrilla

24Jan12

A woman's descent into a deep state of anxiety and her gradual withdrawal from reality, watched through an ambiguous mixture of skepticism and admiration.

Hauntingly somber film that will forever be imprinted on my brain. Watch this back to back with Citizen Kane or something, Haynes must have taken notes because his use of the frame is spectacular. Moore is in a league of her own here. Great film.

menencorio

3Jan12

A masterclass in framing. Carol's always surrounded by an all-encompassing void. Haynes refuses to give you a clear idea of where he stands regarding the second section, and I think that makes it even more unsettling; I'm not sure he has any answers. Even the closing frames can be seen either as liberating or nothing less than ironic. File it next to Antonioni's "Red Desert" as a superb take on modern alienation.

Mike likes this

slaepwerigne

9Nov11

harrowing sterility. makes you feel as if nothing in the world is safe and nothing can comfort you.

Mike and Cameron Casper like this

Adam Eisentrout

6Nov11

One of the quietest horror films ever. Psychological horror that'll delve deep under your skin for days. Terrific direction and a great performance by Julianne Moore.

Mike and menencorio like this

Jaspar Lamar Crabb

24Sep11

I have been LULLED into liking a film that, let's face it, is more than a little boring

Sudipto Basu

20Sep11

I loved the film's long shots and sparse soundtrack without really chiming with the content. Because I don't really believe in New Age philosophy, I didn't know how to respond. Mike Spence's review helped: http://mubi.com/reviews/21223

ruby stevens

29Aug11

great sound design; creepy as hell from the first scene

Clayton

22Aug11

The scariest horror I've ever seen

Gino

24Jul11

I just saw this at the New Beverly Cinema in Melrose..it attracted quite an interesting crowd, distracting at times. But, I got in for six dollars, and considering the only DVD copy I could find of Safe is $120, I feel blessed to have seen this masterpiece.

ericlaughs likes this

lasttimeisaw

6Jul11

Todd Haynes at his best! my review here: http://mubi.com/reviews/23775

Th MZA

3Jun11

The genius part about Carol White is how she elicits a complex spectrum of emotional response just by being empty at all times. You're mad at her uselessness. You pity her inability to have friends. You find her prissy cough a bit irritating. She needs a hug she doesn't deserve. Batshit. This is that rare minimalist film that unfolds into a messy and massive thing, like Miss Teen SC's sprawling answer to a simple Q.

Malkin

14Apr11

Isolation, aimlessness, and cosmic despair. And people in whom all that internalized insecurity, fear, and crushing sense of purposelessness manifests itself and gives them something tangible to fight against. Stunning.

Addiena of Mubi land

31Jan11

Interesting subject. Really captivated throughout. Haynes succeeded in filming a ridiculous incurable disease into something serious and important. Great job Moore too!

rorydean

3Jan11

This is such an uncomfortable film. Haynes captures paranoia and fear brilliantly while keeping Moore from her frequent bouts with melodrama.

odilonvert

10Dec10

Loved this. Still remember certain scenes clearly since I saw it.

alianat

13Nov10

the combination of claustrophobic silence and a haunting soundtrack, shots of edward hopper-ish loneliness and estrangement, her faltering manner to speak (and her 'speech' at the end) -- all of it creates such an eerie uncanny effect that i don't know why but i enjoyed the movie a lot.

Øyvind Rype

7Sep10

From the Lynch-feel of the opening shot and the overall Badalamenti'sh musical style coupled with a very effective cinematography, I was deeply drawn into a creepy world that felt somehow like Repulsion or Rosemary's Baby. Something creepy is going on, but as a viewer you don't know what the menace is. The first hour was simply stunningly good, it's just a shame the second half was a bit underwhelming.

Raymer

11Aug10

I keep thinking I have this film nailed down, but then I realize I've failed to consider x, y or z. A really interesting and quiet look at how fear can consume someone.

Valu2009

20Jun10

Wonderful. Not a single shot in the wrong place, Haynes does at hist best what a good filmaker has to do: telling things with the images. But Safe it's not just this, from the excellent (and scary) music score to a stunning performance by miss Julianne Moore, where everything concurs in recreating a creepy menace feeling from the very first photogram. Great movie.

Joseph Wallace

4May10

Did David Lynch steal the opening of this film for Mulholland Drive? They are identical in every way - even the music!

1%

4May10

this is anything but 'safe'. haynes' craftsmanship at its very best.

Vincent Bergeron

29Jan10

Haynes made a far better movie here and then with Far From Heaven, which in retrospect is an easy pastiche of past times (fun, but more shy and less subversive than the actual 50's original ; and forget about the masterpiece by Fassbinder, a whole different universe of motivated expression of the social malaise). Haunting and better if you watch Safe three times at least.

richard langley

8Jun09

A. RICHARD LANGLEY One of Haynes' best films, and definitely Moore's most mesmerizing--and disturbing--performance. Timely yet ahead of its time, the film, which echoes Antonioni's brilliant The Red Desert, is a disturbing take on one suburban woman's battle with her social, personal, physical, and mental deterioration that she blames on environmental and technological issues.