The Safety of Objects (2002)
The first thing people will note
about this film is the huge cast and how many of them
are quite good actors. Glenn Close, Dermot Mulrooney,
Moira Kelly, Joshua Jackson, Robert Klein, Mary Kay
Place, Patricia Clarkson, and Timothy Olyphant all
appear here and all have fairly developed characters
with important points to the plot (okay, except for
Klein). There are numerous newcomers who make huge
impressions as well in the film, in particular Kristen
Stewart (the girl from "The
Panic Room") and young actor Alex House.
While your watching the film, several
impressions will drift over you as you view it. Being
rather into films myself, I noticed how early in the
film there is a sort of musical montage moment that
is generally reserved for the later part of most films.
This is the kind of sweeping, multi-character musical
piece that has become rather fashionable in "art"
films of late. But I've never seen one used this early
in a film. It is not only a device filmmaker Rose
Troche uses to set-up her multiple characters, but
it sets up story as well, as music is very important
to the plot here.
Then there are the opening credits
of the film, which are unique, cool and masterfully
done. You just have to see them. It perfectly establishes
that we are about to see a muilt- character film where
everyone knows everyone. This is a story about four
families who live relatively the same area and have
interconnecting stories because they have interconnecting
lives, whether they like it or not.
As the film rolls through its first
half-hour or so, we see that Troche is setting up
a mystery for us. Through an exposition device rife
with flashbacks, we see that the film shows us where
many of the characters are now. The mystery is of
how did they get there. She shows us the past and
the present and sets us up to wonder about the "how"
of it all. That is the mystery of the film. Even so,
Troche doesn't ruin any dramatic thrust by revealing
where she is going to us, in fact, most of the action
is a forward moving arc. The flashback here helps
us solve a little of the mystery of how the characters
got to the point that they are at now in the film.
And the flashbacks will become so much more important
at the film's end.
Troche, you will notice while watching
the film, has two main inspirations. This film is
produced by Christine Vacchon of Killer Films and
one of her protégés, Todd Solondz, is a definite influence.
The other, and more obvious, is P.T. Anderson. In
fact, when this film was over I found myself thinking
that it was not illogical to call it the "Magnolia"
of 2002.
From Anderson, Troche takes much
including a multi-character- driven plot, the use
of music, the deliberate pacing and crystaline neatness.
This is a plot about characters that are suburban
and that think they are compartmentalized. It's about
nervous breakdowns, children on the edge, unrealized
expectations, and all the things that Anderson's "Magnolia"
was about. Meanwhile, from Solondz, Troche takes a
deviant and confrontation look at children and their
sexuality. From the teenagers to the prepubescent
youngster characters here, sex is paramount to what
their stories are about. Troche takes moments that
have heretofore been taboo in society and art, as
has Solondz, and exposes them as the troubling and
confusing issues that they are. Furthermore, Troche
has a plotline going in the film about an older boy
in a situation with a younger character that, at first,
seems lifted straight (pardon the pun) from Solondz.
So, you are going to hear many critics
and so-called film cultists call "The Safety of Objects"
a rip-off. They may have a valid argument. But we
don't get enough real Anderson and Solondz for my
tastes. I can take a third filmmaker working in the
genre of modern suburban angst. Solondz and Anderson
are the two of the greatest filmmakers going right
now. If you're going to emulate anyone, why not them?
I love the exact stylistic and story influences that
Troche has stolen from them. So what if this is a
partial rip-off, that doesn't negate the power of
the stories, the characters and the film for me. Troche
has just taken these modern, recent cinematic ideas
and transferred them onto her film. Sure, the film
might have worked just as well in some other style,
but we're dealing with dysfunctional families, secrets,
and childhood sexuality here. These are themes that
beg the influence of Anderson and Solondz. I forgave
her because I consider the film much more homage than
plagiarism in a way. And this is a well-crafted, well
acted, well written and beautifully disturbing film.
You have to give Troche credit for creating a masterpiece,
even if it is reminiscent of other recent hip filmmakers.
Troche certainly does some new and
astounding things on her own. The device of a character
thinking out loud, so we hear his thoughts in voice-over,
is used here. I hate this device. But Troche only
uses it with one character, so we forgive it since
there are so many other characters and so many other
stories going on. When this device is later used with
other characters, well into the film, it works because
we've already accepted it as a device. A similar device
is also used with a youngster who doesn't think out
loud, per se, but instead hears voices in his head
brought on from other sources. This is where much
of the dark Solondzesque humor first begins to take
place. It works because it is humorous and makes us
laugh. But in its comedy, as we accept the character
and the device, comes some truly troubling and disturbing
issues.
The acting here is nothing short
of phenomenal. Sure, we can expect this from most
of the cast but that doesn't negate its power. Close
is perfection. She carries this film, not because
she is the only actor of note, but rather because
her character, like the Joshua Jackson character,
is central to the theme and tone of the film. Close
is this film (and it's not that the other actors are
not). She's like the mother of this film. She deserves
to be recognized for her amazing work here. As does
Mulrooney. He really breaks out here to provide a
fascinating and out-of-character character for us.
The work of everyone here, from Close to the youngest
cast member is haunting... Haunting!
"The Safety of Objects" is about
damaged people with damaged lives. I don't want to
tell you anything more than I have about the plot
of the film because there are some moments here that
are simply divine and heartbreaking. This is a film
about self-awareness, coming to terms with one's own
humanity and mistakes, and accepting the humanity
and the mistakes, the frailty, of others. This is
a beautiful film. I insist that you see it. It won't
heal you. It won't make you feel better. It won't
make you feel good. It will simply rip you open with
its brutal honesty and its wicked sense of the absurdity
of existence. It will break your heart and it will
trouble you deeply. But in doing so, somehow, it will
help you to realize that you are not alone.
Note:
Based on the stories of A.M. Homes.
I have not seen "Hands on a Hardbody."
