If you’re on Threads (It’s like Twitter, or X, I should say), you’re familiar with the term Alpine divorce. It applies when an experienced woodsman takes his inexperienced wife or girlfriend on a remote outdoor hike or camping trip and leaves her to possibly die. This movie is sort of like that, but it’s much more.
It starts with a gunshot—someone is killed, and two people flee. The narrative then rolls back to the beginning to show how this unfolds: Alex and Joey, together for eight years since college, are on a camping trip. Joey is enthusiastic about the trip, but Alex is not; she doesn’t think she has the right clothes and doesn’t enjoy outdoor activities. After they arrive at camp, Joey quickly leads Alex to a nearby cliff at sunset. As they look out, Alex turns to see Joey on one knee with a ring; he proposes, but she says no. Joey is very upset, so they return to camp. Back at camp, they have sex, but it’s clear that any attraction Alex once had is gone. Joey, focused on his own pleasure, doesn’t seem to notice. This is the crux of their relationship: Alex should have ended it long ago, but inertia kept her from doing so.
The next morning, Alex wakes to find Joey and all the supplies and food gone. She has no idea where she is or how to reach a road. After several days, she finally tries to walk to civilization. She trips, falls, hits her head, and awakes to a couple, Matt and Kianna, helping her. They have lived off-grid for a year, jobless, enjoying nature in a roomy van. For a few days, they enjoy eating, drinking, and mushroom-fueled threesomes. It soon becomes clear that the two are the “honeymoon bandits” Alex heard about on the radio; they’ve been robbing banks in nearby Canadian cities. She keeps this to herself, but rising tension leads the couple to an ugly split. What happens next will determine whether Alex resumes her sleepwalking life or finds something new.
Director Gloria Mercer stated that A Safe Distance is a “feminist reframing of the classic ‘lovers on the run’ story that asks as many questions as it answers. It’s about a woman’s decision to accept what society says is her role, or choose something else.”
I liked everything about this movie. It is difficult to predict which way the characters will jump. With appropriate music, good pacing, and great performances, it’s a thrill ride, start to finish. This is the director’s first feature film; she has a background in editing. The female leads, Bethany Brown and Tandia Mercedes, shine. Overall, it is a great thriller.