Stars: 5 out of 5
Emotional and Inspiring
I’m very slowly working my way through the items I flagged as things I was interested in watching when I got Disney+ earlier this year. While I’ve never been the biggest sports fan, Safety was one of those films I put on my list. It sounds like an uplifting and inspiring film, and I’m glad I watched it.
The movie is inspired by the true story of Ray McElrathbey (Jay Reeves), a freshman with a football scholarship to Clemson. He’s busy with practices and classes and possibly trying to date Kaycee (Corinne Foxx). That is until his world changes when he realizes that his younger brother Fahmarr (Thaddeus J. Mixson) is living mostly on his own since their mother has been arrested for drugs. Again.
Not knowing what else to do, Ray sneaks Fahmarr into his dorm room and tries to hide him. When it becomes clear that the situation is going to be longer term that Ray originally realized, he has to decide what to do for his younger brother. But what will it mean for his future at Clemson?
Probably because this was based on a true story, but the movie felt a little more episodic than I was expecting it to be. Life is episodic in nature, so I appreciate the film feeling that way. But this is a minor point to me because I truly cared for Ray and Fahmarr and wanted to see them overcome the obstacles in their path. And each time the story changed, it presented them with another obstacle.
Those obstacles just made each of the wins sweeter. And there are wins.
I appreciated that Fahmarr wasn’t a brat. Don’t get me wrong, he isn’t perfect, but he was a realistic eleven-year-old. Overall, I found the relationship between the brothers to be sweet.
Of course, one reason I loved this movie was seeing a community come together to help someone in need. That is always inspiring and this movie is no exception. I will say I hope that the meeting at the climax was changed for dramatic effect.
After watching the movie, I did a little research on Ray and Fahmarr. It sounds like the movie took a bit of poetic license with their story, but they got the spirit right. Even more inspiring was to find out how they are doing today.
Make no mistake, this is a drama. But it is an inspiring movie that is ultimately uplifting. As such, I’m glad I watched Safety.
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