Safety

Safety is an American biographical and sports film directed by Reginald Hudlin, produced by Mark Ciardi and written by Randy McKinnon and Nick Santora. The film focuses on Ray McElrathbey, a young man facing a variety of difficult experiences in his personal life. His hope and perseverance help him stay active, defeat various challenges and enable him to play American soccer on a scholarship at Clemson University; all this while he struggles to raise and care for his 11-year-old brother, Fahmarr, on campus, away from their mother Tonya, who is unable to care for him due to her substance abuse problems.

As Disney + soon reaches its first year of existence, it is interesting to see its evolution and especially its successful approach to offer a wide range of new programs alongside its many treasures from its successes in the field of animation but also the universes acquired by The Walt Disney Company such as Star Wars, National geographic and especially Marvel which allow this essential streaming platform to succeed in overshadowing Netflix and especially to gain a true global reputation.

While Mulan had recently been directly on this streaming platform whether in the form of a complementary purchase in the United States or free of charge in France, other smaller-scale films continue to be offered such as this new film by Reginald Hudlin (Boomerang (1992), The Ladies Man (2000), Serving Sara)(2002), Marshall (2017)). One suspects that the excellent reception of the film Marshall with the late Chadwick Boseman allowed him to be offered this adaptation of a true story about a young student athlete, Ray McElrathbey, who had to face various challenges to not only graduate, manage his younger brother, but also to blossom and find love. Safety is not a blockbuster that The Walt Disney Company is used to but rather a simple, realistic and above all perfectly told film. By filming the ordinary, Reginald Hudlin's refined direction paints the portrait of a fractured America with its different social classes in which young students who weren't lucky enough to be born with the right cards in hand must nevertheless persevere to succeed.

Moving away from a simple sports film to the angle of a contemporary social film, Safety stands out as a minor success because it benefits from an excellent cast and constantly seeks to remain sincere. Some may criticize the film's too slow line and the film itself for its overly simplistic and unoriginal script, but Safety shows that American cinema still knows how to have a soul and be a reflection of today's society. Far from bringing spectacular special effects before our eyes, this film touches us by its strength and above all allows us to discover a whole new generation of actors we haven't heard the last of.

Safety
Directed by Reginald Hudlin
Produced by Mark Ciardi
Written by Randy McKinnon, Nick Santora
Starring Jay Reeves, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Corinne Foxx, Luke Tennie
Music: Marcus Miller
Cinematography: Shane Hurlbut
Edited by Terel Gibson
Production company: Walt Disney Pictures, Select Films
Distributed by Disney+
Release date: December 11, 2020 (Disney +)
Running time: 120 minutes

Viewed on December 6, 2020 (screener press)

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