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Safer At Home (2021) Review. The Horrors In Our New “normality”

We all knew this would happen. COVID-19 was sure to spark a series of movies taking place at one place, with thrillers and horror being two of the most failsafe genres for making low budget films. It’s impossible not to remember Rob Savage and his extraordinary film Host which dramatically gave us hope, and made us believe cinema (at home at least) wasn’t dead. Now Safer at Home arrives with confidence. A film that uses our current circumstance and exploits it in favor of a thriller taking place in an advanced era of COVID-19 panic and terror. Just like found footage films obliterated the beginning of this century, film adaptations of our new normality will reproduce like organisms that can’t seem to die. We welcome them with open minds.

A good premise trapped in a harmless thriller.

Safer at Home takes place in the future. A couple of years have passed since the damn pandemic began and we haven’t been able to control it. Millions of cases have been diagnosed and countries have resorted to absolute lockdowns, curfews, and some sort of police state. People have learned to live like this, and a group of friends gathers in a video call to celebrate a birthday. The “party” goes well, drugs are consumed, and some dirt from the past is dug out. Nothing serious.

However, a discussion begins with one of the couples present in the party. I won’t spoil you about what happens. The night turns into a nightmare for all of them. Yes, I’m vague. Sue me.

A film should feel like the shit hit the fan, even if it doesn’t.

In this subgenre of films (a computer or cellphone screen setting), the supernatural element is almost always used. When it’s not, you depend on the engagement that’s ignited by an original and effective premise. In Safer at Home the whole context of scenario where the movie happens, is really helpful. We don’t actually understand what’s happening outside of these safe havens where people can drink, do drugs, have sex, and just be normal. When Safer at Home forces one of its characters to go outside anything can happen. That mystery could be cleverly used but the film plays it safe.

There’s a dilemma in Safer at Home that’s cleverly dependent on the attention of the viewer. It’s risky but very effective. I won’t say what it is, but please I beg of you: look out for a certain moment because this will determine how you can diagnose the characters and the morality. It sounds far fetched but there’s no other way to put it.

Is it worthy or is it just an attempt at something that’ll have better versions in the future?

It’s worthy. Even as an imperfect film, Safer at Home does a great job at fabricating a thriller out of a circumstance that we’ve all been in. It’s a white-knuckle film and that was enough for me to give it a shot. And hey, the best thing about it? It doesn’t use this damn disease to build its suspense.

Hits

Misses
.- How it begins and how it ends. It feels like a punch in the stomach.
.- Good dynamics in the relationship between characters that interact only through devices.

.- The film dares to explore a little bit of a reality that we hope will never materialize in the future.

.- The first act is unnecessarily extended.
.- Some continuity mistakes and some “devices” can be noticed in the final cut.

.- We get the feeling the movie could have done more with its atmosphere of “dread”.

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