*Wanted* Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before.
So begins Safety Not Guaranteed, an enormously rewarding film by the makers of Little Miss Sunshine. The dark comedy follows three cynical journalists who stumble upon a mysterious classified ad seeking a companion for a mission through time. On the hunt for the story of a lifetime, they head out to meet its oddball writer, and end up embarking on a very different kind of journey - one of self-discovery, love, and magic.
It's impossible to adequately write about this gem of a feature without giving away its many secrets; I struggled with the idea of even writing this blog entry; with so many plot twists and turns, I was petrified I would give away far too much in singing its praises. I will say that the story reminds me a lot of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (a film that I obsessively love) in incorporating magical realistic elements to relate universal truths about relationships. Throughout, the tale left me off-balance and unsure; the viewer is constantly left guessing about the motivations of each of the main characters, and never really knows what is and is not real until the very last moments. I fought myself over and over, wondering if time travel was going to prove possible or if it was simply a hoax perpetuated by a lonely, mentally ill man. And what I found most important is the thought-provoking central question posed by the filmmakers - are we ever capable of stepping outside of ourselves, forgetting everything we may believe, to take a huge leap of faith for love?
The movie left me feeling breathless, and the adventure, both cinematic and in life itself, is more than worth it in the end.
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