THE ILLUSION OF SAFETY
If you have ever thought, I can’t imagine what it must be like to be in a situation as awful as a school shooting, this incredible new short film will show you. Without bloodshed, writer/director/producer Fabrice Joubert creates an effectively tense film with little more than a ten-minute run-time.
There’s just a few lines of dialogue as an elementary school gym teacher (the palpably frightened and sensitive Rob Nagle) hears just two shots and ushers his young students to safety in a small office. As the killer nears the room, we sense a rawness that is a punch in the gut, largely due to Joubert’s slow shots and terrific angles (Pavel Brenner is the cinematographer). Close-ups of those young faces are indelible; we can sense that this is a memory for them which will never go away.
Safety is remarkable for its horrifying effect given there is no violence to be seen. Mathieu Alvado’s moody score (performed by the London Symphony Orchestra no less) pumps up the pressure. Without hammering home any messages, the takeaway of this necessarily upsetting work is clear. Something must be done. Just as important, this is truly lovely filmmaking.
stills courtesy of Easter Moon Films
Safety
Easter Moon Films Production
United States | 14 minutes | color | 2019
for more info, visit Safety
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Quite obviously, the gym coach had sexually abused the older brother.