Common Sense Media Review
By Kat Halstead
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Chilling drama is full of ambiguity, some sex, and language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Safe
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In SAFE, wealthy homemaker Carol (Julianne Moore) lives a mundane but privileged life with her husband, Greg (Xander Berkeley), and stepson, Rory (Chauncey Leopardi), in 1980s Southern California. Life is ticking along uneventfully until she starts to experience a mystery illness that leads to her struggling to breathe and even having seizures. When doctors fail to shed any light, Carol signs up for a holistic retreat called Wrenwood. But is her ailment medical, environmental, or psychological, and can anywhere she goes ever be truly safe from triggering it?
Is It Any Good?
Moore gives an understated but intense performance as the lead in this eco-illness drama that asks various questions, but ultimately leaves it up to viewers to come to their own conclusions. Safe nods to the toxic effects of consumerism, the dark potentials of wellness culture, and age-old existential questions about meaning and isolation. Carol is wealthy, but it could be the day-to-day "luxuries" of her life—her hairdresser, her fume-heavy Los Angeles location, or her high-end food and drink—that are making her sick. Or is it her repressed lifestyle, where she disconnects from sex with her husband, is overlooked by male medical professionals, and is sucked into endless discussions of diet and exercise by her similarly "Stepford-esque" friends? Moore does an impressive job of physicalizing the character's low self-esteem, so that she practically disappears into the background as she apologizes for her own suffering. In tandem with the relatively heavy subject matter is a dance floor-ready 1980s soundtrack featuring classics like Madonna's "Lucky Star" and Billy Ocean's "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car." It cements the time and place beautifully alongside the pitfalls of the era and the surge for capitalist success above all else.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what Safe has to say about modern life. What are some of the things that might have caused Carol's illness? How are they connected to her lifestyle and that of the society surrounding her?
What do you think the title of the movie means? In what ways does Carol feel unsafe? How does she try to create a safe space for herself? Do you think it works? Can we ever be completely safe?
How is gender represented in the movie? How do the characters lean into stereotypical gender roles? Do you think the film challenged them at all? How can we find positive gender representations in movies and on TV?
Discuss the strong language used in the movie. What does it contribute? Is a certain kind of language expected in a film like this?
How are sex and relationships portrayed in the movie? Is it affectionate? Respectful? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.
Movie Details
- In theaters : June 23, 1995
- On DVD or streaming : April 18, 2007
- Cast : Julianne Moore , Xander Berkeley , Peter Friedman
- Director : Todd Haynes
- Studio : Sony Pictures Classics
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 119 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sex scene and brief language
- Last updated : June 22, 2026
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