Running Time: 86 Minutes
Starring: Bethany Brown, Tandia Mercedes, Cody Kearsley, Chris McNally, Henry Mah
Marking the feature directorial debut for Gloria Mercer, A Safe Distance opens in the woods, as any stillness is broken by a gunshot ringing out. Viewers then see the aftermath of the situation, leaving them with an accurate idea of what has happened, and how the people left standing are tired of the situation. All they want to do is move forward, leaving them out of the proximity of the life-changing event.
The film then cuts to much earlier, as Alex (Bethany Brown) and Joey (Chris McNally) go on a camping trip to celebrate their eight year anniversary. While Alex is not thrilled with the trip, she goes along with it for her boyfriend's sake. When a hike ends with Joey proposing, he is not thrilled by the hesitant answer. The next morning, Alex awakens to find that she has been abandoned in the forest. While struggling to find her way out, she is found by Kianna (Tandia Mercedes) and Matt (Cody Kearsley), a couple roughing it in their van who invite her to join them. In their camp, Alex finds a bag of stolen money, and works out that the pair are notorious bank robbers that the police are hunting for.
From the early moments, viewers get an effective glimpse into the dynamic of the protagonist's relationship. Even though we do not see it for long, it is understandable to assume that the eight years were full of Alex pitying Joey, compromising in order to do whatever he wanted. When she is abandoned, her default is to try making excuses for him, but the new couple hit her with truths about Joey's toxicity. It says a lot about his ego that he brags about putting up a tent, but cannot be bothered to zip it shut before giving a clearly unfulfilling sexual performance.
After a relationship where she felt like an afterthought, Alex gets swept up in this exciting new lifestyle. You can see the joy in Bethany Brown's performance, who captures this person who is making up for lost time after feeling that she missed out on so many experiences in her 20s. You believe that she currently feels more alive than she did in the eight dull years with Joey. She forges a bond with Kianna, aided by Brown sharing electric chemistry with Tandia Mercedes. Despite the different circumstances, the two women are in similar situations in their unfulfilling relationships with toxic men, finding solace (and more) with each other.
When viewers first meet Alex, he says all the right things to appear as a progressive guy, but these words are soon contradicted by his controlling actions. It highlights how some men can seem appealing to women by mimicking the right soundbites, but their true colours are shown when they are challenged by women. When their egos are deflated, it just shows how performative their words ultimately were. It all leads to the splintering of established relationships, with tension added by how much money is up for grabs.
Admittedly, the story is considerably impacted by the opening, which offers an unnecessary glimpse into the third-act. This feels like a choice made to hook viewers from the opening moments, but it instead affects what comes later by dampening third-act shocks. Despite this, A Safe Distance remains a compelling thriller with a fascinating open-ending, raising questions regarding whether the connection on-screen is stronger than the urge to have the money.
A Safe Distance made its Canadian Premiere at Fantasia Festival 2026
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