Safe

directed by:
Tim Earnheart
written by:
Tim Earnheart
genre:
Sci-Fi, Thriller

Oh baby that's what I like! Seriously... this was a really cool short film with a little of everything. Perhaps not everything, but in my opinion, "Safe" had hints of all the genres that count - and it was definitely a fun experience. Because this flick is so short, I'm not going to go into many plot details, but here's a sniff. Within a seemingly normal household, the cleverly named character The woman is relaxing - when her phone rings through. It's good news concerning her now officially adopted daughter. As the two plan a time to celebrate later on when pops gets home, The woman happily moves on with her day. It's at this point she's confronted with a masked intruder. A few of them actually. Instantly "Safe" has turned into a home invasion film, but by no means is that the surprise... that's just the start of the movie. Because this film is free to watch, I recommend tuning in to find out more. It's completely worth it - no question about that.

Reading that Tim Earnheart has put together a great short film, is not enough to explain how quickly "Safe" moves along. Although under eight minutes, it feels more like three or four. I write that in the best possible way because the pacing is almost perfect. There's no confusion about anything, point A to point Z in a clear, lightning fast zip. I actually watched most of it a second time just because I felt like it. Earnheart's goal was simple enough to see. Create a cool short film that focuses on the visuals and breakneck speed. It didn't hurt that the audio was great as well, but it definitely played second fiddle to what was happening onscreen - and I'm alright with that.
With all that written however, one scene, more like an eighth of scene considering the speed of the film, stood out as being a little exaggerated. And yes, it feels weird to write exaggerated, considering it really was only a few seconds, but the whole thing with the drill coming down on The woman - felt much longer than it needed to be. When considering how fast the movie treks along, that one segment felt incredibly long. Other than that? I was a little disappointed with the contents of the timer. After all that, and the effect the timer had, seeing a few plastic gizmos and cogs was a slight let down. Even if the guts were metal, I have a feeling I would have been satisfied. In truth I'm just reaching - looking for something, anything to critique because when it's all said and done, this was a great short film.
There you have it. A solid four stars for a great short film. Adding the icing to the cake - is that you can watch this right now, for absolutely nothing. So why not click the link below and have a look yourself. I'm sure you'll be glad you did.