Director: Gloria Mercer
Writer: Aidan West
Stars: Bethany Brown, Cody Kearsley, Tandia Mercedes
Synopsis: A woman is abandoned by her boyfriend in the forest and befriends a pair of notorious fugitives, becoming dangerously entangled in their relationship.
There’s something special about independent cinema when it really locks into its rhythm. Free from the weight of massive budgets or big-name stars, these films feel freer, more daring, and more willing to follow strange emotional currents wherever they lead. A Safe Distance thrives in that space. It’s a lean, seductive thriller that builds tension slowly, letting atmosphere and character dynamics do most of the work. The result is the kind of film that pulls you in quietly before tightening its grip.
The opening is immediately striking. Two women stand in the woods, blood splattered across their faces, silently washing themselves in a river after what appears to be a violent encounter. The moment is both eerie and calm at the same time, leaving more questions than answers. Who are they? What happened? And whose blood is it? Rather than explaining itself right away, the film pulls back in time, revealing the story piece-by-piece as the tension begins to build.
At the center of it all is Alex (Bethany Brown), who arrives in the woods expecting nothing more dramatic than a romantic camping trip with her boyfriend, Joey (Chris McNally). They’re celebrating eight years together, and the trip should be a moment of connection. Instead, it becomes something much more uncomfortable. When Joey decides the perfect moment for a proposal is during a hike, Alex’s reaction is anything but romantic. The hesitation is written all over her face, and the proposal exposes the quiet dissatisfaction that’s been lurking in their relationship. The moment spirals quickly, and before long Joey storms off, leaving Alex alone in the forest.
That’s when she encounters Kianna (Tandia Mercedes) and Matt (Cody Kearsley), a couple camping nearby who seem to exist on a completely different wavelength. They’re confident, spontaneous, and full of the kind of reckless energy that Alex’s own life seems to be missing. From the beginning, their presence feels intoxicating. There’s an ease to the way they move through the world, as though they’ve simply stepped outside the expectations that trap everyone else.
It doesn’t take long for Alex to discover that their lifestyle isn’t just unconventional. Kianna and Matt are hiding out after a string of bank robberies, waiting for the chaos they’ve left behind to cool off. Instead of recoiling from the danger, Alex finds herself drawn in even further. After the awkward collapse of her relationship and the sudden uncertainty about where her life is headed, the freedom these two represent becomes strangely appealing. Their world is unpredictable and dangerous, but it also feels alive in a way her old life never did.
As Alex spends more time with them, the emotional center of the story begins to shift. While Matt initially appears charismatic and thrilling, it’s the connection between Alex and Kianna that slowly becomes the film’s most compelling element. Their sapphic chemistry builds in subtle ways; through quiet conversations, stolen glances, and moments that linger just a little longer than expected. Bethany Brown and Tandia Mercedes share a natural spark that gives these scenes a sense of electricity without needing to push too hard.
The film leans into that tension, allowing the attraction between them to grow naturally while the dynamic within the trio becomes increasingly unstable. Matt’s presence starts to feel less charming and more volatile, especially as the bond between the two women deepens. That imbalance creates a constant undercurrent of unease, the sense that something is slowly tightening beneath the surface.
What makes A Safe Distance particularly effective is its commitment to intimacy. The film doesn’t rely on elaborate action sequences or sweeping locations. Much of the story unfolds in the quiet isolation of the forest, with only a handful of characters carrying the narrative. Instead of feeling limited, the simplicity gives the film a focused intensity. Every glance, every conversation, and every shift in tone feels amplified within that small world.
As the story moves closer to the violent moment hinted at in the opening, the sense of dread becomes impossible to ignore. Relationships begin to fracture, jealousy creeps into the spaces where excitement once lived, and the fragile balance holding the trio together starts to unravel. The film allows that tension to simmer rather than explode all at once, creating a steady climb toward the inevitable breaking point.
By the time everything circles back to the haunting image that opened the story, the emotional stakes feel fully realized. The choices these characters have made, driven by desire, curiosity, and the thrill of stepping outside the boundaries of ordinary life, carry consequences that can no longer be avoided.
Gloria Mercer’s debut shows a filmmaker with a clear sense of tone and control. The film moves with confidence, trusting its performances and its slow-burning tension to guide the audience through a story where attraction, danger, and ambition intertwine. The performances from Bethany Brown, Tandia Mercedes, and Cody Kearsley anchor the film’s shifting dynamics, giving each moment a sense of unpredictability that keeps the story moving forward.
A Safe Distance stands as a sharp example of what independent thrillers can achieve when they lean into character, atmosphere, and emotional complexity rather than spectacle. It’s stylish, intimate, and quietly unsettling, allowing desire and danger—especially the sapphic bond at its heart—to blur together until the two become impossible to separate.
