WE’RE NOT SAFE HERE -- A Compelling Story Buried in a Film Worth Skipping

Review by Jonathan Berk

Director Solomon Gray’s film We’re Not Safe Here (2025) has moments that showcase a strong eye for striking compositions and innovative ways of displaying themes visually. The core monologing that is a character telling a story (that is also delivering the film’s story) is compellingly written and delivered well by Hayley McFarland as Rachel. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to make the movie worth recommending, as it leans heavily on poorly structured scares and is riddled with odd story beats that don’t quite add up, often leaving its audience completely unsatisfied. 

The problems with the story are apparent pretty early on, as the movie initially introduces us to Sharmita Bhattacharya’s character, Neeta, and her co-worker Sarah, played by Caisey Cole. They are discussing Rachel’s odd absence and her situation. Not long after, Rachel calls Neeta and asks her to come over to talk. The dialogue in these exchanges feels disjointed, ultimately appearing a bit clunky as it tries to lay out the plot structure. The story that Rachel will spend most of the movie insisting she has to tell, with Neeta encouraging her to do so, begins to reveal what the film is about:  a trauma that Rachel experienced as a child.  However, now, it has apparently started to impact her…with no clear reason as to why …and it has been shared with Neeta, who becomes consumed by the tale. 

There is an element of the story that implies it could be about creative blocks and self-doubt. Neeta is an artist who apparently is such a fan of her own work that it is displayed literally all over her house. Nonetheless, her recent piece has her stuck to the point that she stabs the canvas. Rachel is a big fan of Neeta’s work and offers some artistic insight to one of the displayed pieces. While this comes back in some ways throughout the film, it mostly feels like an afterthought. Unfortunately, a majority of the story choices feel like afterthoughts.​

Rachel’s character is easily the most perplexing, as her motivations continually seem to shift. The film struggles to decide who the true protagonist is, and it sloppily weaves between Neeta, Rachel, reality, and dreams. Rachel reveals to Neeta that she’s been experiencing blackouts - but this seems like a lame way to introduce dream sequences into the film. Most of the scares that happen are in these altered states, and thus feel impactful to the plot  - but they essentially undercut the stakes.  

Despite the many little hiccups that make the film feel poorly constructed, McFarland’s delivery of the main story through long, extended monologues and the story itself are compelling. Those moments can often be the parts in a horror film that drag it down and make it feel interminable. In this case, they are the factors that keep the audience locked in. The reaction shots of Neeta during the story, however, often remind us that there really isn’t anything happening, and the connection to Rachel’s recent withdrawal from her friends and her job doesn’t really get addressed with this story from her childhood. The horrors she experienced imply a fairly quick turnaround that doesn’t make sense for her to have lived with it for so long, and to only have it just now provide an impact on her life.. The film’s finale confirms this reading of the story, undercutting the entire setup. 

We’re Not Safe Here seems to be directed at the audience. If you’re watching this, then you’ve probably made some bad choices. There is probably enough about the film to allow some horror fans to defend it - but ultimately, it feels more like a demonstration of Gray’s visual style rather than his ability to tell a compelling and comprehensible story. 

We’re Not Safe Here is on VOD and digital on August 22. 

Rating: 1.5/5

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