The Safety of Objects
Encyclopedia
The Safety of Objects is a 2001 independent film based upon a series of short stories written by A. M. Homes
about four suburban families who find that their lives become intertwined. The film was directed by Rose Troche
, and has many characters. It is often considered an "intellectual film" in the sense that it touches upon many deep issues of the human experience in life. There are about 15 major characters in the film. Perhaps most notable is the character Esther Gold, played by Glenn Close
. Esther Gold is the mother of several children, including a son who is in a coma from a car accident. The other characters are also related to the accident either directly or indirectly. As the film's story continues, the audience finds that all of the characters are connected in ways that they never knew.
) lies in his bedroom in a vegetative state - a coma
caused by a traumatic car accident, being nursed by his mother, Esther (Glenn Close
). Esther dutifully tends to Paul day and night, and in doing so has distanced herself from her husband Howard (Robert Klein
) and teenage daughter Julie (Jessica Campbell
). In an attempt to elicit her mother's attention, Julie enters Esther in a local radio contest in hopes of winning the brand new car that is up for grabs.
Meanwhile, after years of putting his job first, Jim Train (Dermot Mulroney
) feels his family, especially his efficient wife Susan (Moira Kelly
), no longer needs him. He tries to reconnect with his son Jake (Alex House), but pubescent
Jake is preoccupied with romantic fantasies that revolve around his younger sister's twelve-inch plastic doll. Jim stops going to work, claiming that a bomb threat
was called into his office, and convinces Esther and Julie to let him help them win the car.
The Trains' neighbor, Helen Christianson (Mary Kay Place
), feeling older and less desirable, tries new products to keep her feeling young but succeeds only in alienating her husband, who loves her as she is.
Helen's good friend, Annette Jennings (Patricia Clarkson
), in the midst of a messy divorce, struggles to financially provide for her two daughters. Sam (Kristen Stewart
), the older tomboy
ish daughter, is desperate to go off to camp that summer. Sam's younger sister suffers from mental disabilities and requires special schooling, schooling that her selfish ex-husband refuses to pay for. Annette is also mourning the loss of Paul, with whom she was having a relationship. Randy (Timothy Olyphant
), the neighborhood's landscaper, is also coping (poorly) with his own younger brother's death.
Annette's estranged husband comes over so that he can see the children. He states that he would like to take their eldest, Sam, on holiday. Annette refuses because Sam isn't interested in spending time with her father and her ex-husband does not want to care for the younger daughter. Sam overhears the ensuing argument and as a result runs away from her father when he tries to talk to her at the park. After stopping behind a nearby building, she bumps into Randy who convinces her that her mom instructed him to pick her up.
Randy takes Sam to a remote cabin in the woods and keeps her there, not allowing her to call home while calling her 'Johnny'. After what appears to be three days, Randy starts driving back to the suburb in an attempt to recreate the night that all of the characters' lives intersected. However, when the beer he asks Sam to hand him doesn't explode, he appears to realize that the person in the back seat is Sam, not his brother, who was named Johnny.
Esther eventually gets to the final two in the radio contest, only to pull out at the last moment after nearly three days of physical and emotional taxation. Julie becomes angry and runs off. Jim, angry at what he feels is an inadequate second place prize, becomes violent and wrecks the area. He gets chased off by Bobby, Helen's son, who works as the mall
security guard. Esther, who finally becomes aware of how much she has neglected her daughter, goes home and tearfully suffocates her son. Jim returns home, and Randy lets Sam go home. Helen almost cheats on her husband, but after making a last minute phone call eventually returns home having done nothing.
It is revealed in a flashback what caused the car crash which put Paul in a coma. Randy, Paul, and Randy's younger brother Johnny were traveling in a car after a gig that Paul's band played. Johnny gave Randy and Paul beers which were secretly shaken, so that they exploded on Paul, who was driving. Another car, carrying Julie and Bobby, came from the opposite direction, speeding to rush Julie home after an impromptu tryst so that Julie wouldn't get in trouble for violating her curfew. Both drivers became distracted, both cars had to swerve to avoid one another, and Paul's car crashed and flipped over. The guilt that has consumed Randy and Julie both throughout the film is shown to have originated from both believing that they were to blame for the crash.
The final scenes of the movie show the characters coming to heightened understandings of impacts of events in their lives and the choices they've made, and lastly, the interconnectedness of the families profiled.
A. M. Homes
Amy M. Homes is an American writer. She is best-known for her controversial novels and unusual stories, most notably The End of Alice , a novel about a convicted child molester and murderer...
about four suburban families who find that their lives become intertwined. The film was directed by Rose Troche
Rose Troche
Rose Troche is a film and television director, television producer, and screenwriter. She grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and attended film school, earning a degree from the University of Illinois in Chicago...
, and has many characters. It is often considered an "intellectual film" in the sense that it touches upon many deep issues of the human experience in life. There are about 15 major characters in the film. Perhaps most notable is the character Esther Gold, played by Glenn Close
Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
. Esther Gold is the mother of several children, including a son who is in a coma from a car accident. The other characters are also related to the accident either directly or indirectly. As the film's story continues, the audience finds that all of the characters are connected in ways that they never knew.
Plot summary
In a suburban neighborhood, Paul Gold (Joshua JacksonJoshua Jackson
Joshua Carter Jackson is a Canadian American actor. He has appeared in primetime television and in over 32 film roles. He is best known for playing Charlie Conway in The Mighty Ducks film series, Pacey Witter in the television series Dawson's Creek and Peter Bishop in the television series...
) lies in his bedroom in a vegetative state - a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
caused by a traumatic car accident, being nursed by his mother, Esther (Glenn Close
Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
). Esther dutifully tends to Paul day and night, and in doing so has distanced herself from her husband Howard (Robert Klein
Robert Klein
Robert Klein is an American stand-up comedian, singer and actor.-Early life:Klein was born in the Bronx, the son of Frieda and Benjamin Klein, and was raised in a "prototypical 1950s Bronx Jewish" environment. After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School, Klein planned to study medicine...
) and teenage daughter Julie (Jessica Campbell
Jessica Campbell
Jessica Campbell is a film and television actress. Her appearances include the roles of Tammy Metzler in the 1999 film Election, Julie Gold in the 2001 film The Safety of Objects and the two episode guest role of Amy Andrews in the TV series Freaks and Geeks.-External links:...
). In an attempt to elicit her mother's attention, Julie enters Esther in a local radio contest in hopes of winning the brand new car that is up for grabs.
Meanwhile, after years of putting his job first, Jim Train (Dermot Mulroney
Dermot Mulroney
-Early life:Mulroney was born in Alexandria, Virginia, the son of Ellen, a housewife and amateur actress originally from Manchester, Iowa, and Michael Mulroney, a law professor at Villanova University School of Law, originally from Elkader, Iowa. He has a sister, Moira, and three brothers, Conor,...
) feels his family, especially his efficient wife Susan (Moira Kelly
Moira Kelly
Moira Kelly is an American actress. She is best known for playing single mother Karen Roe on the teen drama One Tree Hill. She also directed two episodes of the series: "Resolve" and "I Slept with Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me"...
), no longer needs him. He tries to reconnect with his son Jake (Alex House), but pubescent
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
Jake is preoccupied with romantic fantasies that revolve around his younger sister's twelve-inch plastic doll. Jim stops going to work, claiming that a bomb threat
Bomb threat
A bomb threat is generally defined as a threat, usually verbal or written, to detonate an explosive or incendiary device to cause property damage, death, or injuries, whether or not such a device actually exists...
was called into his office, and convinces Esther and Julie to let him help them win the car.
The Trains' neighbor, Helen Christianson (Mary Kay Place
Mary Kay Place
Mary Kay Place is an American actress, singer, director and screen writer. She is best known as portraying Loretta Haggers on the television series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, a role which won her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Comedy Series in 1977...
), feeling older and less desirable, tries new products to keep her feeling young but succeeds only in alienating her husband, who loves her as she is.
Helen's good friend, Annette Jennings (Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Davies Clarkson is an American actress. After studying drama on the East Coast, Clarkson launched her acting career in 1985, and has worked steadily in both film and television. She twice won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in Six Feet Under...
), in the midst of a messy divorce, struggles to financially provide for her two daughters. Sam (Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart
Kristen Jaymes Stewart is an American actress. She is best known for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga. She has also starred in films including Panic Room , Zathura , In the Land of Women , The Messengers , Adventureland and The Runaways .- Early life :Stewart was born and raised in Los...
), the older tomboy
Tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
ish daughter, is desperate to go off to camp that summer. Sam's younger sister suffers from mental disabilities and requires special schooling, schooling that her selfish ex-husband refuses to pay for. Annette is also mourning the loss of Paul, with whom she was having a relationship. Randy (Timothy Olyphant
Timothy Olyphant
Timothy David Olyphant is an American actor whose notable roles in television drama series include Deadwood as Seth Bullock, Justified as Raylan Givens, The Office as Danny Cordray, and Damages as Wes Krulik...
), the neighborhood's landscaper, is also coping (poorly) with his own younger brother's death.
Annette's estranged husband comes over so that he can see the children. He states that he would like to take their eldest, Sam, on holiday. Annette refuses because Sam isn't interested in spending time with her father and her ex-husband does not want to care for the younger daughter. Sam overhears the ensuing argument and as a result runs away from her father when he tries to talk to her at the park. After stopping behind a nearby building, she bumps into Randy who convinces her that her mom instructed him to pick her up.
Randy takes Sam to a remote cabin in the woods and keeps her there, not allowing her to call home while calling her 'Johnny'. After what appears to be three days, Randy starts driving back to the suburb in an attempt to recreate the night that all of the characters' lives intersected. However, when the beer he asks Sam to hand him doesn't explode, he appears to realize that the person in the back seat is Sam, not his brother, who was named Johnny.
Esther eventually gets to the final two in the radio contest, only to pull out at the last moment after nearly three days of physical and emotional taxation. Julie becomes angry and runs off. Jim, angry at what he feels is an inadequate second place prize, becomes violent and wrecks the area. He gets chased off by Bobby, Helen's son, who works as the mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
security guard. Esther, who finally becomes aware of how much she has neglected her daughter, goes home and tearfully suffocates her son. Jim returns home, and Randy lets Sam go home. Helen almost cheats on her husband, but after making a last minute phone call eventually returns home having done nothing.
It is revealed in a flashback what caused the car crash which put Paul in a coma. Randy, Paul, and Randy's younger brother Johnny were traveling in a car after a gig that Paul's band played. Johnny gave Randy and Paul beers which were secretly shaken, so that they exploded on Paul, who was driving. Another car, carrying Julie and Bobby, came from the opposite direction, speeding to rush Julie home after an impromptu tryst so that Julie wouldn't get in trouble for violating her curfew. Both drivers became distracted, both cars had to swerve to avoid one another, and Paul's car crashed and flipped over. The guilt that has consumed Randy and Julie both throughout the film is shown to have originated from both believing that they were to blame for the crash.
The final scenes of the movie show the characters coming to heightened understandings of impacts of events in their lives and the choices they've made, and lastly, the interconnectedness of the families profiled.
Partial cast
- Glenn CloseGlenn CloseGlenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
as Esther Gold - Dermot MulroneyDermot Mulroney-Early life:Mulroney was born in Alexandria, Virginia, the son of Ellen, a housewife and amateur actress originally from Manchester, Iowa, and Michael Mulroney, a law professor at Villanova University School of Law, originally from Elkader, Iowa. He has a sister, Moira, and three brothers, Conor,...
as Jim Train - Jessica CampbellJessica CampbellJessica Campbell is a film and television actress. Her appearances include the roles of Tammy Metzler in the 1999 film Election, Julie Gold in the 2001 film The Safety of Objects and the two episode guest role of Amy Andrews in the TV series Freaks and Geeks.-External links:...
as Julie Gold - Patricia ClarksonPatricia ClarksonPatricia Davies Clarkson is an American actress. After studying drama on the East Coast, Clarkson launched her acting career in 1985, and has worked steadily in both film and television. She twice won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in Six Feet Under...
as Annette Jennings - Joshua JacksonJoshua JacksonJoshua Carter Jackson is a Canadian American actor. He has appeared in primetime television and in over 32 film roles. He is best known for playing Charlie Conway in The Mighty Ducks film series, Pacey Witter in the television series Dawson's Creek and Peter Bishop in the television series...
as Paul Gold - Moira KellyMoira KellyMoira Kelly is an American actress. She is best known for playing single mother Karen Roe on the teen drama One Tree Hill. She also directed two episodes of the series: "Resolve" and "I Slept with Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me"...
as Susan Train - Robert KleinRobert KleinRobert Klein is an American stand-up comedian, singer and actor.-Early life:Klein was born in the Bronx, the son of Frieda and Benjamin Klein, and was raised in a "prototypical 1950s Bronx Jewish" environment. After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School, Klein planned to study medicine...
as Howard Gold - Timothy OlyphantTimothy OlyphantTimothy David Olyphant is an American actor whose notable roles in television drama series include Deadwood as Seth Bullock, Justified as Raylan Givens, The Office as Danny Cordray, and Damages as Wes Krulik...
as Randy - Mary Kay PlaceMary Kay PlaceMary Kay Place is an American actress, singer, director and screen writer. She is best known as portraying Loretta Haggers on the television series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, a role which won her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Comedy Series in 1977...
as Helen Christianson - Kristen StewartKristen StewartKristen Jaymes Stewart is an American actress. She is best known for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga. She has also starred in films including Panic Room , Zathura , In the Land of Women , The Messengers , Adventureland and The Runaways .- Early life :Stewart was born and raised in Los...
as Sam Jennings - Alex HouseAlex HouseAlex House is a Canadian actor.House started his career as a child actor. Among his many credits include the role of Lance Stone on Dark Oracle for YTV....
as Jake Train - Charlotte ArnoldCharlotte ArnoldCharlotte Arnold is a Canadian film actress and television actress best known as the character of Holly J. Sinclair in Degrassi: The Next Generation and Sadie Hawthorne in the Canadian TV series Naturally, Sadie.- Biography :...
as Sally Christianson - Aaron AshmoreAaron AshmoreAaron Robert Ashmore is a Canadian film and television actor, perhaps best known for his role as Jimmy Olsen in Smallville and as Steve Jinks in Warehouse 13. He is the twin brother of actor Shawn Ashmore.-Career:...
as Bobby Christianson