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"Safe" has been described as a horror movie of the soul, a description that director Todd Haynes relishes. California housewife Carol White seems to have it all in life: a wealthy husband, a beautiful house, servants, beauty, and a lot of friends. The only thing she lacks is a strong personality: Carol seems timid and empty during all of her interactions with the world around her. At the beginning of the film, one would consider her to be more safe in life than just about anyone. That doesnt turn out to be the case. Starting with headaches and leading to a grandmal seizure, Carol becomes more and more sick, claiming that shes become sensitive to the common toxins in todays world: exhaust, fumes, aerosol spray, etc. She pulls back from the sexual advances of her husband and spends her nights alone by the TV or wandering around the outside of her well-protected home like an animal in a cage. Her physician examines her and can find nothing wrong. An allergist finds that she has an allergic reaction to milk but explains that there is no treatment for that sort of allergy. She sees a psychiatrist who does nothing but make her nervous. In the hospital, Carol sees an infomercial for Wrenwood, a new-age retreat for those who are "environmentally ill," and leaves her husband and stepson to try and find salvation at this retreat: headed by a phony, grandstanding, "sensitive" individual named Peter Dunning.
Todd Hayness eerie medical thriller shows us that our environment has finally turned against us. Carol, a typical upper middle-class housewife, begins to complain of vague symptoms of illness. She "doesnt feel right," has unexplained headaches, congestion, a dry cough, nosebleeds, vomiting, and trouble breathing. Her family doctor treats her concerns dismissively and suggests a psychiatrist. Eventually, an allergist tells her that she has Environmental Illness. Her body is rebelling against the overload that her immune system has to deal with, as she is continually exposed to all of the chemicals that we inhale, ingest, and absorb daily. The pollution in our air, pesticides on our food, and toxins in our water, are collectively overwhelming her defenses. The ubiquitous sprays, creams, and emollients used to beautify have become deadly poisons to her. In essence, she has become allergic to the Twentieth Century. She sees Wrenwood as her only salvation, a New Agey center run (quite profitably) by Peter, a clichéd, easy-talking, demagogic guru. Unsettling and ambiguous, we are never sure about each characters hidden agenda, as they revolve around Carol, a timid, frightened pawn, overwhelmed by her condition.
Julianne Moore
Carol
Xander Berkeley
Greg
Dean Norris
Mover
Julie Burgess
Aerobics Instructor
Ronnie Farer
Barbara
Jodie Markell
Anita
Susan Norman
Linda
Martha Velez
Fulvia
Chauncey Leopardi
Rory
Saachiko
Dry Cleaners Manager
Tim Gardner
Department Store Dispatcher
Wendy Haynes
Waitress
Allan Wasserman
Client
Jean St. James
Client's Wife
Steven Gilborn
Dr. Hubbard
Janel Moloney
Hairdresser
Brendan Dolan
Patrolman
John Apicella
Psychiatrist
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