Look Both Ways

Cast: Justine Clarke, William McInnes, Lisa Flanagan, Andrew S. Gilbert, Anthony Hayes
Director: Sarah Watt
Screenplay: Sarah Watt
Genre: Action/Adventure
Rated: M mature themes
Running Time: 100 Minutes

Synopsis:
An innovative mix of animation and live action, set over a scorchingly hot weekend, when people dealing with unexpected events find their lives intersecting. Nick visits a doctor for a routine medical and is given a devastating diagnosis but has to wait until Monday for specialist advice. Meryl, returning from a funeral, has until Monday to finish her project or lose her job. Andy is thrown by his girlfriend's ultimatum and has to consider the news of her unplanned pregnancy. The convergence of their paths creates an intriguing picture; intimate, universal and uplifting.

My Verdict:
Filmed in Adelaide, South Australia, 'Look Both Ways' has a distinct urban Australian feel. Central focus is a recent train derailment where there are still victims trapped amongst the wreckage, which is played out on televisions belonging to the characters of the movie and a train hitting a pedestrian. The characters are a mixed bunch, whose lives will intersect and impact upon each other over the course of a hot weekend.

There's photographer Nick (William McInnes), who discovers on Friday that he has testicular cancer, but has to wait unit Monday to visit a specialist to determine his fate. He meets struggling greeting card artist Meryl (Justine Clarke), who is coming home from her father's funeral. They form a friendship that covers a lot of territory in a very short time span. Nick's colleague, disillusioned journalist Andy, spends his time cynically lamenting for some sense of reason especially after his estranged girlfriend (Lisa Flanagan) arrives to announce that she's unexpectedly pregnant. A few other characters are thrown in, including the distraught train driver of the single pedestrian fatality.

Throughout the movie, hand drawn animations from director Sarah Watt are interspersed with some force to reveal the inner thoughts of Meryl and are always of death - a recurrent theme used throughout. Death is dominant subject matter in 'Look Both Ways' but it is not used morbidly but more as a theme for the characters to explore as they all face mortality.

Relying heavily on symbolism, 'Look Both Ways' is a breath of fresh air as it never insults its audience and offers plenty of food for thought. The characters are all very believable and could be friends of yours or mine and it is this aspect that is most appealing - the casual people-next-door type premise that draws you in as you relate to them and their situations.

Very likeable and amusing, 'Look Both Ways' is definitely one of this years best movies to come from the Australian film industry and offers hope for the future.

Rating : ****

Christina Bruce