The ordinarily restrained crowd at the LFF was incited into heated debate
at the Q&A following the screening of Todd Haynes' film, Safe, screened on Sunday 12 and again last Tuesday. 'It wasn't so much as a mixed reaction, but a very vocal one,' said Haynes. 'People started to argue amongst themselves in the audience. And I sat back and just let them go.' An unnerving depiction of an American suburban housewife's self-diagnosis of 'twentieth-century illness' in which she develops and allergic response to everything around her, Safe is a haunting examination of contemporary values. In its refusal to either condone or challenge any of the issues raised, it provoked a strong response from the audience. 'Some people thought it was a very American thing and not something that could happen in Britain, while others were trying to argue that it can be read more broadly and it can't be dismissed on those terms.' What certainly can't be dismissed is Julianne Moore's portrayal of Carol White, one which the star of Vanya on 42nd Street and, more recently Nine Months, considers to be the best of her career. Her perfectly nuanced performance depicts her tiny world as it slowly, but surely, shrinks. Final word goes to Haynes: 'I wanted to make a film about how illness affects identity'. So now you know. Safe will be released in the UK on 19 April.
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