THE STORY – Alex and her boyfriend, Joey, head into the wilderness for a romantic getaway. When Alex turns down Joey’s surprise proposal, he abandons her in the woods. She’s rescued by Kianna and Matt, an enigmatic young couple living off the grid. Stranded and shaken, Alex accepts their invitation to stay at their remote campsite. As she’s drawn into their intoxicating world, complicated emotions and unexpected connections begin to surface. But when she learns they’re fugitives wanted for a string of violent bank robberies, Alex must navigate the blurred lines between desire, loyalty, and survival.
THE CAST – Bethany Brown, Cody Kearsley, Chris McNally & Tandia Mercedes
THE TEAM – Gloria Mercer (Director) & Aidan West (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 85 Minutes
Alex (Bethany Brown) didn’t want any of this. She thought she was taking a nice little camping trip with her boyfriend, Joey (Chris McNally), but then he proposed. Caught off guard and not in a positive headspace, Alex can’t say the magic word, throwing Joey into such a bad mood that he leaves Alex in the woods on her own. When she stumbles on Kianna (Tandia Mercedes) and Matt (Cody Kearsley) and their stocked campsite, the two take her in, support her, and give her a place to stay until they can give her a ride back home. Alex slowly figures out the reason they can’t take her back yet: Kianna and Matt have been on a Bonnie & Clyde-like bank robbing spree, and they’re hiding out off the grid until the cops move on or they run out of money, whichever comes first. As Alex becomes closer to the couple, she becomes more enamored with them and their way of life. Meanwhile, danger looms: Will the cops find them? Will Kianna or Matt decide she knows too much? And what if Joey comes back looking for her?
The opening scene of Gloria Mercer’s “A Safe Distance” lays the story’s cards out on the table while we see Alex and Kianna bury a body, wash the blood off themselves, and get on a train that will take them far away. It’s a great hook, keeping the audience on their toes, trying to figure out what exactly is going to happen. It’s also smart, since most of the film takes a low-key, naturalistic approach to storytelling that mostly presents itself as a character study rather than a thriller. That said, it’s a very good character study, delving into the relationship dynamics among these three people with a somewhat playful sense of introspection. Alex finds herself at a crossroads in her life, and Kianna and Matt’s freedom seems especially appealing, as does their loving relationship. Having just been abandoned by her own partner, Alex feels even more drawn to the couple, but she’s also wary of the danger they present. With each passing hour, though, she lets down her guard more, sharing more of herself and getting closer to them. She doesn’t seem to care that they’re violent criminals as long as they continue to treat her well. But it’s clear that, at some point, Alex will have to decide as to how deep down their rabbit hole she wants to go, and this provides as much suspense as trying to figure out who the dead body from the opening scene is.
Thankfully, Brown’s performance remains compelling throughout. Constantly assessing and reassessing her surroundings, she makes Alex a much less passive character than she seems on the page, giving her just enough prickly personality to break through the film’s subdued tone. While she’s not as instantly captivating a presence as either Kearsley or Mercedes, that’s by design, and watching Alex come into her own the longer she spends with Kianna and Matt gives Brown a good showcase for her talents. Kearsley and Mercedes give live-wire performances, each displaying an undercurrent of dark, dangerous energy that electrifies the air around them. The more they’re at odds with each other, the more intriguing their relationship becomes, with each furtive glance and muttered aside carrying greater weight the longer Alex stays with them.
While the story is slight, the close attention paid to the relationship dynamics at play keeps it feeling more substantial. Aidan West’s acutely observed screenplay packs a lot of character intrigue into a short runtime, more than enough to make up for the lack of plot intrigue. That part does increase in the film’s last act, but if you’re not into subtler storytelling, it may not be enough. However, “A Safe Distance” still has quite a bit going for it. The luscious woodland setting offers plenty of beauty for cinematographer Devan Scott to exploit, and Mercer gets the most she can out of Caleb Chan’s striking original score. The solid craft elements, sharply observed screenplay, and compelling performances make this a micro indie well worth seeking out.
