Safety In Numbers (1999)

• 84%
• 1999
• Amy Harrison

With pathos and humor, this experimental drama explores the mental reality of a young New York woman whose need for control and order has made her a virtual recluse, obsessively straightening and organizing her apartment. No matter how much list-writing, cleaning and tidying she does, her mind threatens to slip out of control. A mysterious phone call represents her last tenuous thread of human contact with the outside world. Is she suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or Agoraphobia, or is she just overly rigid? Is there a clear boundary between the two? While the character uses the minutiae of daily housework to control her deeper feelings of chaos and loss, this film draws the viewer into her claustrophobic world, and into the emotions that finally drive her to attempt a break from her vicious cycle. A dramatic exploration of one woman's attempts to quiet the chaos in her mind, this award-winning video offers viewers an unusual and compelling trigger for discussions of mental disorders, and of the sometimes hazy borderline between normal behavior and "symptoms.