Safe Spaces

The divisions in adjunct professor Josh’s (Justin Long) professional and personal lives are taking a toll. He’s been known to bumble his way into trouble, like when his romance with his young nieces’ nanny led to her firing. Now his college students are forming warring factions after a triggering incident in his classroom, and administrators are growing alarmed over Josh’s uncertain response. His family is also chaotic: loving but splintered in the face of his beloved grandmother’s (Lynn Cohen) illness. His mother (Fran Drescher) sorts logistics while struggling to face the imminent loss of her mother. His father (Richard Schiff) is supportive but distant, trying to balance his adult children with his new wife and young son. Josh’s aunt just skipped town, and his sister (Kate Berlant) might need to lay off the pills. Everyone convenes at the hospital, trying to give and find support in the face of uncertainty. (Tribeca Film Festival)