Safe House, The (ITV 2002, Geraldine Somerville, Kelly Reilly)

A tale of intrigue, deceit and cold-blooded murder leave trauma psychologist, Dr. Sam Graham (Geraldine Somerville fighting for her job, her sanity and her daughter’s life.

A savage attack leaves a wealthy couple dead and their daughter, Finn (Kelly Reilly, Maybe Baby, Last Orders) with her throat cut, but alive. In search of a haven for this one surviving witness the police turn to post traumatic stress specialist Dr. Sam Graham. But what begins as a favor and an experiment ends as a fight for her sanity and the survival of all that is precious to her.

Sam has just moved to the coastal marshlands of Essex, looking forward to a quiet life away from London with her young daughter Elsie (Emily and Laura-Jane Keston). When the police approach Sam about Finn, she reluctantly agrees to take her in. Sam is in a relationship with a younger man, Danny (Sean Gleeson, The Woman in White, EastEnders) who resents the intrusion and soon returns to London.

Finn arrives at Sam’s remote house wounded, traumatized and unable to speak. Sam tries everything to get through to Finn and just when it looks like nothing will work, Finn slowly begins to recover. Danny returns and all seems well until the apparent suicide of the housekeeper who first discovered the murdered couple. Finn’s confidence continues to grow and she becomes ever closer to Sam and her daughter, and one night, confesses to Sam she wants to stay with them forever. Sam clearly shocked by this, reluctantly says no. A few nights later, when Sam is out, Finn seduces Danny.

The next morning, Danny and Finn go missing. Devastated, Sam tracks them down to a lonely beach where she finds them both shot dead.

At the inquest Sam is publicly humiliated and her professional integrity brought into question. She refuses to accept the coroner’s verdict of suicide. With her lover dead and her career under threat, Sam is determined to uncover the truth. In a shocking twist, her daughter is placed in jeopardy and Sam is forced to fight for her life.

production details
UK | ITV1 | 1×120 minutes | Broadcast 28 October 2002

Writer: David Pine
Novel: Nicci French
Producer: Linda James
Director: Simon Massey

cast
Geraldine Somerville as Dr. Samantha Graham
Kelly Reilly as Fiona ‘Finn’ MacKenzie
Seán Gleeson as Danny Hyde
Robert Bathurst as Dr. Adam Daley
Phil Davis as Det. Inspector Baird
Isobel Middleton as Sarah
Polly Moore as Det. Inspector Hearst
Laura Jane Keston as Elsie
Emily Keston as Elsie