'A Safe Distance' Review
- Michael Petrey
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Release Date: --/--/-- [TBA]
Genre: Thriller.
MPAA: Not Rated.
Distributor: TBA.
Seen for SXSW 2026.
The Verdict: A Maybe
In A Safe Distance, lean, minimalist storytelling unfolds against lush forest scenery as two intertwining couples move along very different trajectories: one stuck in a self-admittedly boring eight-year relationship, the other on the run after a string of successful bank robberies that netted $2 million.
The film begins with a couple in their 30s venturing into the Canadian woods to celebrate their eight-year anniversary, though Joey (Chris McNally) and Alex (Bethany Brown) have very different ideas of what the milestone represents. Alex appears emotionally drained from their strained relationship, while Joey sees her as the key to a happier future—regardless of whether that future is one she actually wants. After Alex turns down Joey’s mountaintop proposal, she finds herself abandoned in the woods and soon encounters a couple living out of a nearby van. A psychedelic mushroom-fueled nightcap leads to an impulsive encounter in the van, and Alex discovers two large bags of cash, realizing the pair she just met are bank-robbing fugitives.
Caleb Chan’s score uses the plucked tension of guitar strings to establish a mysterious, slightly ominous tone that lingers beneath the film’s otherwise laid-back atmosphere. With a cast of four major characters—plus a brief appearance from a general store clerk—the film builds a close-knit ensemble that delivers solid performances and lends the story a relaxed, Joe Swanberg-esque mumblecore energy. Bethany Brown’s Alex adapts quickly to the Bonnie-and-Clyde lifestyle, seemingly with little hesitation, as she begins chasing a sense of adventure—even if it comes packaged with real danger. Within its low-budget framework, the film also finds moments of creativity through its cinematography and promising young cast.
The exposition could have benefited from greater subtlety, leaving several developments feeling predictable rather than building the kind of tension the premise suggests. The film itself doesn’t take many narrative risks, even as its protagonist dives headfirst into the lives of two criminals—one of whom reportedly murdered a bank teller. The story moves briskly toward an inevitable betrayal and an abrupt but somewhat satisfying ending. Despite the high stakes suggested on paper, the tension rarely reaches the level expected of a thriller. Instead, Gloria Mercer’s A Safe Distance plays more like an offbeat hangout film about strangers who meet by chance and quickly form uneasy alliances, abandoning the comfort of distance in pursuit of excitement and an escape from the ordinary.
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