The Safety of Objects

An incredible all-star cast delivers unforgettable performances in this "penetrating" (Time Out New York), "can't-take-your-eyes-off-the-screen drama" (Marie Claire) about a group of suburban families whose lives are mysteriously intertwined. As Esther (Glenn Close) struggles to remain the perfect mother in the wake of a tragedy, Annette (Patricia Clarkson) copes with toxic fallout from a nasty divorce. Meanwhile, Jim (Dermot Mulroney) goes off the deep end when he's passed overfor a promotion at work. But these very different people are bound together by more than their cookie-cutter homes and manicured lawns. In fact, an event from their past threatens to shatter their fragile lives unless they can find the strength to face itand each otherhead on.

A gorgeous collage of human details, The Safety of Objects intertwines the stories of four families living as neighbors in a pleasant suburb, all of them grappling in various ways with the aftermath of a car accident that left a teenager in a coma. That may sound histrionic, but the movie is carefully composed of little things, some ordinary--a lawyer uproots his wife's flowers because he mistakes them for weeds--and some absurd--a boy fantasizes about having a relationship with his sister's doll. But all of it, absurd or not, has some core of emotion. As the title suggests, the characters seek solace in the inanimate, things that can't betray, abandon, or truly need them. The outstanding ensemble cast includes Glenn Close, Dermot Mulroney, Patricia Clarkson, Mary Kay Place, Jessica Campbell (Election), and Kristen Stewart (Panic Room), among others; all fit together into a deeply felt whole. --Bret Fetzer