Review of The Safety of Objects (2002) by Aurora Borealis — 25 Jul 2008

This movie very successfully fleshed out the character and dilemma of life in the suburbs, expressed so well in the title. Told in narrow, disjointed scenes, the viewer is brought into the psychological space of the characters and has to piece together the various real relationships between characters as well as the underlying tragic story that has driven them all to where they're at.

Simply put, this is a story about people who are not coping very well in the wake of a tragedy, and it takes the whole span of the film for them and us to come to terms with what happened. Instead, the viewer is taken through their daily petty dramas, the clutter and distraction of objects -- from the materialism of their suburban houses to the divorced Jennings' dispute over furniture to the adolescent boy who has an attachment to his sister's Barbie doll -- all of which shield the characters and the viewer temporarily from facing the truth of what happened and the truth of their lives.