Safe Inside (film)

Safe Inside is a 2019 psychological thriller film directed by Renata Gabryjelska and written by Blazej Dzikowski. It stars Steven Brand, Tom Ainsley, and Andrea Tivadar. The plot follows Ana (Tivadar) and Tom (Ainsley), an American couple, travelling to rural France for farm work. After their bus crashes, they wake up alone and walk to their host Richard's (Brand) mansion. The film's music was composed by Elia Cmíral.

Safe Inside
Poster
Directed by	Renata Gabryjelska
Screenplay by	Blazej Dzikowski
Story by	Renata Gabryjelska
Produced by	Stanislaw Tyczynski Magdalena Jaworska
Starring	Steven Brand Tom Ainsley Andrea Tivadar
Cinematography	Piotr Kukla
Edited by	Agnieszka Glinska
Music by	Elia Cmíral
Production company	Next Holding
Distributed by	Gravitas Ventures
Release date	October 16, 2019 (2019-10-16) (SDIFF)
Running time	97 minutes
Countries	Poland Luxembourg
Language	English

The film won Best Thriller Feature award at the 2019 San Diego International Film Festival. It also won Best Director, Best Thriller, and Best Cinematography at the Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Competition.

Plot

Ana and her boyfriend Tom, an American couple exploring Europe, take a coach to a remote region in France, where they plan to work on a farm owned by Richard. However, their journey takes a turn when the coach crashes. Upon regaining consciousness, they find themselves alone, with the other passengers gone. Left with no other choice, they make their way on foot to Richard's mansion.

Cast

• Steven Brand as Richard Rolle
• Tom Ainsley as Tom Dawkins
• Andrea Tivadar as Ana Walker
• Nocolas Navazo as Dr. Baptiste
• Joanna Kulig as Sylvia
• Patrice Nieckowski as Paysan
• Krzysztof Rogowski as Jean-Luc

Production

Safe Inside is a Polish-Luxembourg production made in English language. The directorial debut of Renata Gabryjelska, its screenplay, written by Błażej Dzikowski, was inspired by events from Gabryjelska's life.^[1] Although the film is set in France, it was shot in Poland.^[2][3]

Release

Safe Inside was screened on 16 October 2019 at the San Diego International Film Festival.^[4] It was released on digital platforms on 7 June 2021.^[2]

Festival screenings

• San Diego International Film Festival, 2019
• Polish Film Festival of America, 2020^[5]
• Debut Films Festival Youth and Film (Poland), 2021 – Official selection for competition^[6]
• Tofifest, 2020 – Official competition^[7]

Critical response

Rating 8/10, Alan Ng of Film Threat stated: "As far as low budget thrillers go, Safe Inside balances the thrills beautifully, but the film's score does overplay its hand on occasion. Visually, the imagery and the meaning behind it is fantastic. The locations and set pieces are beautiful".^[1] Leslie Felperin of The Guardian rated two out of five stars and described the film as "a flawed thriller with a doozy of a twist", although she commended "the cast is toothsome and pleasant to watch, especially Tivadar".^[2]

Accolades

Award	Category	Recipient	Result	Ref.
San Diego International Film Festival	Best Thriller Feature	Renata Gabryjelska	Won	[8]
	Chris Brinker Award	Renata Gabryjelska	Nominated	[9]
Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Competition	Best Director	Renata Gabryjelska	Won	[10]
	Best Thriller	Stanislaw Tycznski	Won
	Best Cinematography	Piotr Kukla	Won
	Best Film	Magdalena Jaworska, Stanislaw Tyczynski	Nominated
	Best International Film	Renata Gabryjelska	Nominated
	Best Film Score	Elia Cmíral	Nominated
	Best Film Editing	Agnieska Glinska	Nominated
	Best Actor	Steven Brand	Nominated
	Best Actress	Andrea Tivadar	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actor	Tom Ainsley	Nominated
Global Music Awards	Silver Medal	Elia Cmíral	Won	[11]
Lady Filmmakers Festival	Best Foreign Film	Magdalena Jaworska, Stanislaw Tyczynski	Won	[12]
	Best Actor	Steven Brand	Won
	Best Actress	Andrea Tivadar	Nominated	[9]
	Best Supporting Actor	Tom Ainsley	Nominated