Safe Home

My god this was a good mini series. I'm desperate for this to be made into a full series, there are just so many stories that could be told.

This show was heartbreaking. It shows you that everyone is in danger of family violence, not matter your age, social class, gender, race...please pay attention to friends and colleagues and when someone asks for help give it to them.

In regards to the show, the premise is new and fresh. It's extremely realistic. The acting is very well done, especially by the main actress. It had my attention from the beginning, the mystery had me guessing up until the end. A couple of coincidences but otherwise a great show.

I admit I had to steel myself to watch Safe Home, and initially did so mainly because I thought it was such a 'worthy' project. However, while saying Safe Home is 'enjoyable' sounds too flippant, this show is definitely not an 'eat your greens' viewing experience. Of course, it deals with a very confronting topic, but does so sensitively, and delivers its message(s) via well-constructed-thriller and engrossing-workplace-drama plots. In short, Safe Home is absolutely gripping, and really well acted and well written. All the cast are great, and Aisha Dee is superb in the lead. Congratulations to all involved!

I just discovered this short series on a streaming channel.

Of course it takes place in Australia, but I have no doubt women succumb to the same mistreatment or violence worldwide. I have never been so informed of this particular theme, and even though the information is presented in a short television series, the actors do a wonderful job of capturing the viewer and bringing one into the fold.

Although the Safe Home jumps around quite a lot between the affected individuals - and sometimes the jumping kind of confused me - the dynamics of Safe Home says there is a lot more to be told and just 4 episodes does not fill the void.

Growing up in a household where domestic violence had been present and watching this series there is a whole new understand on why "people don't run" because they can't they are stuck in a system that has let them down and will keep letting them down. This series was even more of an eye opener for me and I grew up with it and sometimes friends did as well. Phoebe is the optimistic one and all the other characters at the law firm are all that, but to a different degree, the stories told at the centre and the lives of everyone who walks through those doors are changed in an instant. I suggest if you do watch this go gently, you are going to be ok and help is available.

There is nothing new in this show. ALL of these scenarios have already happened, in our communities, around Australia.

Be warned, it is confronting. Within the early scenes. If you have experienced violence, be prepared. It is very spare in its depictions of physical violence, and is not gratuitous, but it does not need to be. The threat of violence is just as terrifying. And the trauma and psychological impacts are evident in many of the characters

I can't speak to whether the Community Legal Service is realistically represented. But for the different versions of family violence, this is, to my experience, authentic. The situations (plot) and character representations (acting) are entirely convincing.

The boiling frog metaphor, whilst only alluded to in this show, is an accurate one. It creeps up on you, whilst at the same time, you rationalise the situation, and the perpetrator's behaviour. I suspect, the more 'clever' you are, the more convincing your rationalisations, to yourself as much as others. The underlying plotline of the 'murder' alluded to in the 1st episode, attempts to depict to the viewer, how we can ALL be taken in. "It can be anyone". I think it is also a challenging thought project, to question yourself, about any assumptions you may have made, before the denouement in the final episode.

Yes this is a representation of, predominantly, women as victims. But that is factually accurate. Family violence towards women and consequently, children, is an epidemic in Australia. The institutions we have; Courts/Police/Services, have been identified as part of the problem - as is depicted in this show.

For those of you who question its veracity, who propose it 'needs more irony', who think it is 'biased against men', consider your own internalised biases and your capacity for compassion.

My hope is that at some point in my lifetime, we have moved on from; desperately needing to represent these stories. To; actually seeing solutions and change within our culture. A time when shows like this become painfully outdated.