A Safe Distance being an alpine divorce with a sapphic twist is exactly what I’ve been waiting for ever since women went viral for sharing their stories about being abandoned by the men in their lives in the middle of nowhere.
For those not aware what an alpine divorce is, it’s when a more experienced hiker abandons an inexperienced hiker in the wilderness. This usually happens after an argument. And if you go on TikTok right now, all of the stories that you’ll find are about women being abandoned by their boyfriends, fiancés, and husbands in the middle of nowhere. It’s a form of control and manipulation. And sometimes it’s definitely premeditated, leading to the deaths of the women.
Fortunately, that’s not what happens in A Safe Distance. Well kind of.
In A Safe Distance Bethany Brown’s Alex is abandoned by her boyfriend in the forest after a failed proposal. Woefully embarrassed she puts herself together and tries to make her way out of the forest. Things don’t go as expected and she ends up befriending a pair of notorious fugitives. And what follows is all three of them becoming dangerously entangled in a relationship that will break the fugitives while exploring what it is to be seen through a sapphic lens.
Right from the very start A Safe Distance makes it clear that this is a bloody story about being seen but also the lengths that you’re willing to go to protect that precious feeling. Because oftentimes we find ourselves in entanglements or 8-year relationships like Alex did where we’re just staying the course. This is what we’ve always done and why stop? There’s safety in familiarity. And meeting Tandia Mercedes Kianna acts as this catalyst that wakes up Alex not just to the possibility of being with a woman. But also that there is something unbridled and rageful inside of her that can conquer the world.
But the best thing about A Safe Distance is that Alex is the kind of character that feels like the audience. Too often when you’re watching a movie you’re yelling at the screen because you can’t believe they did that. And Alex does step out of her depth, free herself of some notions, and discovers who she wants to be. But anytime that she’s faced with a challenge, be it about robbing a convenience store or telling Kianna that her boyfriend kissed her, it’s her choice. Alex does it because it’s the right thing to do. But she also does what she does because she wants to, no longer someone to sit back and let life happen to her.
When it comes to the sapphic relationship, A Safe Distance doesn’t fall into the same trappings of Hollywood where they skip, hop, and float around whether these two women like each other.
Alex and Kianna like each other. See each other. Burn for each other. And what they find in each other is enough to strip away their inhibitions and have an emotionally charged sex scene that reminds me of the intimacy and warmth I’ve only witnessed once for LGBTQ+ couples: I’m looking at you Heated Rivalry. And considering that A Safe Distance is also a Canadian production, it makes me wonder what other LGBTQ+ offerings the country has. Truly the softest, most sensual, and non-gratuitous sex scene I’ve seen between two women. And keep in mind, this movie gets bloody too.
The violence that happens in A Safe Distance is contained but also so familiar. We’ve all met those guys who swear up and down that we have changed them for the good while only talking about themselves instead of your relationship. And as a woman, I can relate to not wanting that. I don’t want someone I can train or someone who only focuses on themselves. This world sucks and I want a partner in life. We’ve also met those men who swear up and down that they’re not part of the patriarchal system. But it’s usually the ones that scream the loudest about being the “good guys” that aren’t the good guys.
I would also like to give director Gloria Mercer kudos when it comes to the filming of A Safe Distance. There was an emphasis in the beauty of the filming location. And by that I mean that everything felt raw and not bogged down by atmosphere or dramatic music. The film felt open. And this allowed the characters to live in the moment, whether that’s having breakfast or going through a forest with a big ol’ bag of money. This is the space that was created to make Alex and Kianna fall for each other but see each other, warts and all.
So does it have A Safe Distance happy ending? [Light spoilers ahead.]
That’s something that always comes up when it comes to sapphic movies because of the trauma we have consistently faced when it comes to sapphic relationships being snuffed out. I would say yes, A Safe Distance has a good ending. That ending might be up to interpretation for some, but not for me. Watch the ending again and listen to the closing credits music. You’ll thank me later.
You’ll also thank me later if you get a chance to watch this movie and you jump on it. Because this is the answer of what if a lovely hiker helped me find my way off a mountain or out fo a forest after my boyfriend abandoned me? What that person is a woman? What if we talked the entire way down and got to know each other? What if we stayed in touch because we found each other during a super vulnerable moment? What if that moment was fate and we just see each other for who we are? Just what if we fall in love?
A Safe Distance had its world premiere at SXSW 2026.
Are you excited for A Safe Distance? Let us know in the comments below!
Queerly Not Straight posts on Fangirlish with opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community. Posts are ONLY published on Fangirlish.
