Film: Safety Not Guaranteed

Director: Colin Trevorrow
Genre: Comedy
Source: USA (2012)
Rating: R
Location/Format: Blu-ray
Grade: A

I once had a mentor who talked about the ideas of faith, hope, and belief, those three interrelated concepts that drive religion, that drive friendship, that drive getting out of bed in the morning. He told me about his mother, who always believed in the people around her, and trusted those she came in contact with to tell her the truth. "That meant that she got taken advantage of many times," he said. "But it also meant that what she saw around her was the good in people, the best they had to offer, and the potential for relationships based in love, rather than mistrust."

That concept has always stuck with me. Working with teenagers, it is easy to get taken advantage of; I know that on a weekly--if not daily--basis I am lied to, coerced, manipulated--sometimes in a clumsy fashion, sometimes so smoothly that I probably never figure it out. But at heart, I want to believe in the goodness of people. I want to believe that all of us have the potential and are actively trying to be our best selves. And so I try to see the best, to have faith in my students, to trust that they are people in process, but people working towards enlightenment and growth. That choice to believe in others can lead to disappointment, but it can also lead to more meaningful human interaction and deeper relationships.

I think that's why I enjoyed Safety Not Guaranteed so much. Yes, it's full of young comedic actors I really enjoy (Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, and Jake Johnson, particularly), and yes, that question of whether Mark Duplass is insane or not is played for both comedy and pathos, but at its core it is a film about having to decide whether you will trust in someone else or not, whether you will open up your heart--even at the risk of being disappointed or lied to--to the possibility of other people. It is easy to be cynical and distant. It is so much harder to expose your soft inner core.

Alternate Film Title: "TV Stars Unite!"