Safelight

Some movies are so bad, I feel embarrassed even watching them alone. Safelight is one of those movies.

Most of the acting was horrible, (although the two leads were usually adequate) the cookie-cutter characters were shallow and unlikely and the script was absolutely AWUL. The story was boring; It was hard to care what happened or who it happened to. The scenes of family members fighting were cringingly melodramatic. The scene with the mom cackling with her girlfriends at the bar made me want to stick my face under a lawnmower. What gang of idiots WROTE this?!

I have never posted a review before but I feel a personal responsibility to warn you of this train wreck. Unless you have a morbid appreciation for terrible movies, AVOID. This movie is unbelievably, painfully, dangerously, SO embarrassingly bad.

A slice of life indie-drama about a teenage boy (Evan Peters) with a slightly dysfunctional leg, they call him cripple in the movie but I think that's borderline slur so yeah I'll just put it like that instead, seems to work fine otherwise just walks a bit crookedly.

Anyway he befriends a teenage girl who's a prostitute (Juno Temple) and yeah that's what the movie is about more or less.

The plot summary here on IMDb make it sound more like a road-trip movie than it actually is, I mean there is a roadtrip but it's not substantial to the story so if you're expecting a typical get up to crazy things in new towns type of road movies you might be a bit disappointed.

Writing could have been a little sharper but Temple and Peters are both as always good and make it worthwhile still.

And no light!

Nowhere in the movie do you see a lighthouse at night with it's light on. The lighthouse light is a warning, a guide, for the seafarer to keep the ship safe. So what's with the name? The movie should have been titled "Lighthouse" because that's where Charles & Viki felt safe during the day. At night it was back to being the solo truck stop hooker for her and store stock boy for him and dealing with the local thugs and her crazy pimp.

Why did Juno Temple do this part? Why did she appear in this flick? She is Juno Temple and this role is beneath her talents and she looked like she knew it. Her role is lifeless as Viki, Evan Peters is lifeless as Charles, and Skid (the pimp character) is more a demon possessed clown, than a mean tough guy.

And to top it off, suddenly the story ends. I didn't get it.

Stumbled across this, as usual, looking for something different to watch. The fact that Juno Temple is in it made me want to give it a try, and as always she never fails to deliver the perfect performance.

This isn't a big Hollywood blockbuster. The storyline is sweet and touching and meanders gently along, giving you time to get to know the characters. All of which are cast perfectly, locations and cinematography are also spot on too.

So if you want something which isn't in your face, or high paced, and leaves you with a warm feeling in your belly, then I highly recommend spending a few hours enjoying it.

Don't be fooled by one of the most awe full movie posters I have ever seen. Safelight is a cute little story of two underdogs who find common ground. It is carried by Juno Temple and Evan Peters who rightfully so went on two do bigger things. Christine Lathi also gives a good performance. Only the character of Skid totally feels out of place and isn't really needed. You will get some nice scenery and two young actors that even back then showed a lot of promise.