Drenched in indie-arthouse mystique and withdrawal, Safety Not Guaranteed comes perilously close to collapsing in on itself on multiple occasions. Courtesy of some intriguing performances and a central premise that has just enough surprises, it ends up curiously satisfying.
7.4
Darius (Aubrey Plaza) is a bleary-eyed college grad listlessly trudging along as an intern at a soulless lifestyle magazine. She is completely at odds with her job and general life choices, in a more on-the-nose version of Kirsten Stewart’s character in Personal Shopper. If you’ve ever seen Aubrey Plaza in, well, anything, you not likely shocked by this.
In very plot-fortunate circumstances, Darius links up with an established writer, Jeff (Jake Johnson), and a fellow intern, Arnau (Karan Soni). They are tasked with a weekend away to Ocean View, Washington, tracking down the placer of an ad in a random newspaper. The advertiser seeks a companion to go on a time-travelling expedition. Jeff figures that someone this cooky might produce some interesting material. He turns out to be right.
This build-up is all completed in a fairly quant but uninspired manner. We’re introduced to the unlikely trio and its reluctant centre (Plaza). The plot curdles at first rather than simmers. We’re not so much intrigued as to who this mysterious person might be, as we’re just eager to get through the film’s runtime.
But one of the more endearing aspects of Safety Not Guaranteed is how it manages to be both direct and ambiguous. Once we’re introduced to the mysterious man – Kenneth (Mark Duplass) – the film kicks into gear rather quickly. Kenneth works at a convenience store and has all the makings of a too-far-gone conspiracy theorist. But the film is brave enough to give him plenty of screen-time and let his steely weirdness assault the viewer. We’re utterly convinced that he must be deranged as he speaks casually about the machinations of time-travel. But there’s still a hint of doubt and enough happening in the surrounds to keep us interested. Duplass helps by playing Kenneth as an agonisingly serious loner utterly convinced that his loneliness stems from being too brilliant. As far as conspiracy theorists go, he’s likely not alone then.
Two developments around his character also help. One involves the introduction of two federal agents right around the time that we might be suspecting we’ve worked out the plot. Their presence is something of a shock, but their only mild interest in Kenneth’s activities make things even murkier. Do they make Kenneth’s claim seem more or less legitimate? The second one involves Kirsten Bell in a late scene that gives Kenneth a much-needed layer of sympathy. He slowly morphs into an actual person, potentially caught in the trappings of his own mind. Duplass is excellent here, playing the character as an archetypal tin-hat wearer in some senses, but his seriousness is endearing and his relationship with Plaza’s character is strange but also oddly understandable. His character brings to mind Andrew Garfield’s in Under The Silver Lake, and Plaza’s big, searching eyes make her attraction feel earned.
The subplots fare less well. Jeff, played as a smarmy middle-aged man deep in a crisis, reconnects with a love interest from his childhood days. Whilst this links to the main story in an indirect way – Jeff is trying to recoup lost time from his past – it suffers from just not being anywhere near as intriguing as the main plot. Arnau, meanwhile, is experiencing his own coming-of-age moment. He’s in the midst of the time period that Jeff wishes he could return to. But this sub-plot feels tacked on alongside the others. Both characters’ roles and intentions are clear, but they hang glibly underneath the more intriguing dynamic between Darius and Kenneth. That’s a particular shame in the case of Johnson, who’s proven he has plenty to offer in either a lead or ancillary role.
But it’s the left-of-field manner in which this film treats its main character and the concept of time travel that helps it leave an indelible mark. Many a time-travel film has fell victim to the contradictory ending and an unfinished puzzle. Many ultimately raise questions that leave viewers’ frustrated and unsatisfied. Safety Not Guaranteed is unique in its ending in two respects then. It leaves questions, no doubt, but they don’t frustrate. And it ends less with a puzzle than with a knowing, plaintive smile. That’s a welcome change.
THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL 