This uncommonly rigid movie is either bloodlessly objective or so subtly droll that the joke is beyond comprehension. But... it's tempting to give [Todd Haynes[ the benefit of the doubt.

Haynes does to us what his film does to Carol, cannily exploiting our willingness to find answers where there are none, to read meaning into associations.

In many ways, 'Safe' predicts both the insular nature of contemporary society, and the (counter-intuitive) disease of conformity that's synonymous with it.

Safe has a mildly-intriguing mystery on its surface, some psychological horror underneath, and a strong, breakout performance from star Julianne Moore, but sadly its premise is one that its writer/director doesn't really know what to do with.