Look Both Ways
Meryl (Justine Clarke) is a young woman who sees death every where she looks. Not in a “I see dead people” sort of way, but she is constantly imagining what could kill her at any particular moment. One day she is witness to an actual tragedy that entangles the lives of all those involved. She becomes interested in the photographer from the scene, Nick (William McInnes), who is wary of starting a new relationship since he has been diagnosed with cancer. Nick’s photo is run with an article written by Andy (Anthony Hayes) that questions whether or not these types of tragedies are actually tragedies instead of possible suicides and consequently make the victim’s widow look bad. Unfortunately this is the least of Andy’s problems as he has found out that a former fling of his is pregnant.
The place where this film finds its greatest strength is in Nick and Meryl’s story. Individually they are fully aware of the fact that they are going to die. She obsesses over the “million to one” type possibilities that could end her life, while Nick researches his cancer and imagines it slowly spreading and taking over his body. His new found mortality causes him to reexamine the end of his own father’s life and see it for what it really was. These two people obsession with their own death is what connects them and what makes them appreciate the life that they have. It’s a great message and far funnier than you would expect it to be. Both Clarke and McInnes deserve credit for walking a fine line that makes these characters believable without being cliché or overly sentimental.
The problem this film comes up against is that due to its structure it’s going to run into comparisons, probably unfairly, to both Crash and Magnollia. I’m the first to admit that I am wary of newer films where the plots of multiple characters intertwine. My fear is that it will be like biopics and musicals, where every year there’s a couple new ones and they’ve all got a shot at an Oscar, as if we’ve never seen one before. Look Both Ways is unlike these two films, however, because where they are a product of their own plot device, this film’s plot dictates the way in which it’s told. It’s not jumping up and down yelling “Hey, look what I can do!”
This film will probably have its best bet of being seen on DVD and I would suggest you do so. It’s not very often that you see a movie that really spends so much time discussing the subject of death and mortality that has a genuinely upbeat feel. Sarah Watt does a fine job of blending live action with animated fantasies and could have easily gone into the area of maudlin or ended up on a schmaltzy note, but instead she adeptly sails right in between them and nails a film that truly feels like human experience.
The Grade
- Story: A
- Acting: B
- Visuals: B
- Originality: B+
- Enjoyability: A+
Overall: A-
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