Review of Safe (1993) by Issac L — 05 Jul 2011

I'm a devoted Moore fan, so how could I miss this highly-acclaimed indie film, which directed by the genius Todd Haynes in 1995 and also bestowed her the crown of Queen of indies.

SAFE is an unorthodox indiewood member who has a unflinching core which dares to chart the mysterious battle between the body and soul through the dubbed "environmental disease". The concept here is an intrepid self-salvation process, in a world without any certainty, it is what we believe decides our fate, any physical phenomenons have lost all its gauges and canons. A striking truth is that nothing can save a troubled soul.

I do find stark pessimism in the film, and which is scarier is that it plunges a tremendous impact on me, which in turn solidifies my brief and proves that certain films could unswervingly employ this sort of manipulative trickery.

Moore is laboriously stunning for her role, a delicate doll with a determined will to pursue the cure of her unknown disease, a subtle yet multi-layered interpretation, which reminds me of a saying that "a lonely person should be disgraceful", until she eventually found the place where existed her idem genus. In the very end, she just cannot go back to her normal social life and only could survive by shielding herself inside a new egg-shaped "clean" room where she can dwell in forever.

I consider the film as a modern-day allegory, it challenges its audience to face a wretched circumstance - the insecurity of our carnal figure and the lost identity of any classification. In my opinion, the gritty singularity of ourselves is the cradle of the evil side of religion, one of mine catchphrases is that: Don't be swayed easily by those around you, by what you hear and what they say; adjust yourself in a placid mode, the one who knows you best is yourself, and is yourself only.

Technically speaking, the film deploys a post-apocalypse palette and a brittle score to embody an almost horrorfest-like shtick, Todd Haynes is an authentic auteur who has gut to surprise his devotees.