- Safe (film)
Infobox Film
name = Safe
caption = Movie poster
director =Todd Haynes
producer =Christine Vachon Lauren Zalaznick
writer =Todd Haynes
narrator =
starring =Julianne Moore Peter Friedman Xander Berkeley
music =Brendan Dolan Ed Tomney
cinematography =Alex Nepomniaschy
editing = James Lyons
distributor =
released =June 23 1995
runtime = 119 mins
country = flagicon|UKUnited Kingdom flagicon|USAUnited States
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website = http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/archive/safe.html
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0114323"Safe" (sometimes written as "
[safe] " or "[SAFE] ") is a 1995 drama/thriller film written and directed byTodd Haynes , and produced byChristine Vachon . It was voted the best film of the 1990s in the 1999Village Voice Film Poll .tory
Set in an affluent neighbourhood of the
San Fernando Valley in1987 , the film recounts the life of a seemingly unremarkable homemaker, Carol White (played byJulianne Moore ) who developsmultiple chemical sensitivity (MCS, also known as "Twentieth-Century Disease"). MCS is a medically controversial diagnosis in which a person develops allergic reactions to the visible and invisibletoxins found in everyday household and industrial chemicals.Carol passes her days with activities such as gardening, taking clothes to the dry cleaners, and attending
aerobics classes. Her marriage is stable but devoid of emotional intimacy, and her son is actually a stepson from her husband's previous marriage. Similarly, her friendships are polite but distant.As she goes about her routine, she slowly begins to develop unpredictable and strange bodily reactions, such as persistent exhaustion, uncontrollable coughing (when surrounded by truck exhaust while driving),
asthma -like symptoms (at a baby shower), nose bleeds (when getting a perm at a hair salon), vomiting, and eventually convulsions (at the dry cleaners).Doctors are able to isolate only one chemical she reacts to after she undergoes an allergen test; milk, which she drinks frequently in the movie without incident. Doctors are at a loss of how to help her cope or cure her. She attends some
psychotherapy sessions but does not gain any insight into her condition.After seeing an ad at her community centre, she eventually resorts to moving to the
New Age /religious retreat in thedesert called Wrenwood, which is designed to help people suffering from MCS recover.Awards
1996 Independent Spirit Awards - Nominated for Best Director (Todd Haynes), Best Feature, Best Female Lead (Julianne Moore), and Best Screenplay (Todd Haynes)
1995 Boston Society of Film Critics Awards - Best Cinematography - Alex Nepomniaschy
1995 Seattle International Film Festival - American Independent Award - Todd Haynes
1996 Rotterdam International Film Festival - FIPRESCI Prize Special Mention - Todd Haynes
External links
*imdb title|id=0114323|title=Safe
* [http://www.toddhaynes.net toddhaynes.net] : Tribute site with interviews and forum.
* [http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/safe/safe.html Official Site (Archive)]
* [http://www.othervoices.org/2.3/jgrossman/ Essay by Julie Grossman]
* [http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/directors/02/haynes.html Senses of Cinema essay]
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