The Safety of Objects

Tagline: What do you hold onto when your world turns upside down?                                                                                                So I decided to finally see this movie because I remember I had heard good things about it back when it came out in 2001 and it was the last movie I hadn’t seen from Kristen Stewart’s filmography, and since I’m definitely a big fan it was on the list of movies I needed to see and last night I finally sat down and watched it. It was pretty much the only feature film from director Rose Troche, who also adapted the screenplay from a series of short stories written by A.M. Homes.

The movie is an interweaving tale between four families in a neighborhood who are all dealing with life changing events of their own and are working to find themselves amongst the chaos. Glenn Close plays a mother who is dealing with the aftermath of a tragic car accident which left her son, Joshua Jackson, paralyzed and in a coma, along with her daughter’s rebelliousness and pent up guilt over the whole thing. Durmont Mulroney plays husband to Moira Kelly and has to deal with years of hard work as a lawyer who works 60 hours a week and sacrifices everything to provide for his family only to miss out on becoming partner at his firm. Patricia Clarkson plays a divorced mother of two who is dealing with an absentee father to her children along with the loss of her love with Joshua Jackson following his car accident. Mary Kay Place plays a middle aged wife who questions her own marriage and life. And finally Timothy Olymphant plays a grieving brother who attempts to fill the void left from his younger brother’s death through unconventional ways with a ten year old Kristen Stewart.


The plot was deeply complex and connected most of the characters in believable ways. There have been many movies such as this over the years now that try to tie all the characters together and it can feel natural or sometimes not. This plot did feel natural and believable, with the exception of the end. The characters reacted in believable ways and I was able to sympathize with most of the characters even though most did have unconventional ways with dealing with their issues. The characters were complex and did have a little bit of development towards the end, in most instances. Enough emphasis was given to the right characters and at the right moments instead of some similar movies which try to give each character in the entire movie the same amount of screen time. This plot on the other hand felt natural and realistic. The only part that wasn’t natural and realistic was the very end when everything was conveniently tied up and all the characters were brought together for a nostalgic ending, but hey this is a movie so I understand the reasoning behind choosing that ending.


I enjoyed the editing in this movie, especially the motion cuts where one character’s action would cut into another character’s action. This helped to give the characters a connection symbolically even if there was no direct plot connection and I always liked stylized symbolic editing. The film flowed and didn’t seem to lag. It was also a nice touch with the car accident and how we learned bits and pieces up until the end when the final truth burst out, which seemed to mirror the building guilt that also finally exploded with a few characters, and again the editing was highly symbolic. The movie was small and intimate which was in keeping with the type of emotions and characters involved.


The movie was definitely performance driven between these characters and their relationships. I especially enjoyed the subplot between the young Alex House and his imaginary Barbie girlfriend. It was a nice addition to the movie and really added to the quirkiness and believability of the movie. Glenn Close did amazing as is to be expected. Patricia Clarkson also did a great job and was super believable. Everyone was on par with their parts although most seem to be in roles that were comfortable to them. This was Kristen Stewart’s first film role and it’s pretty amazing that she landed this complex part as her first role. She did great when she was interacting with Timothy Olymphant’s character and it was obvious then that she was deeper and more introspective that other actors her age. It was interesting to see her first film to say the least.


I think this was a really great character movie although it was a little depressing. I especially enjoyed Kristen Stewart, Timothy Olymphant, and Patricia Clarkson in the movie. I really do enjoy these little independent character pieces from time to time. It was interesting enough to keep me entertained until the end however it’s not going to be on my list of favorite movies or anything like that. I would probably recommend this to anyone who likes introspective depressing character movies. “When you start collecting things, you start thinking that you care about these things. And when they’re gone, you feel like a part of you is gone as well. Nothing should make you feel like that . . . Except when you lose a person.” -- The Safety of Objects.