Look Both Ways (2006)

So much average

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Absolutely Fantastic

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

To start I wish to say that I am currently studying this film for my English course and it pains me to sit through every minute of this train wreck of a film (pun intended)! The script is just awful, just awful, that's all i can say. There are so many awkward moments in the film that are made even worse by the terrible dialogue between the characters! In their first meeting, the two main characters prove that there are things in life worse than death. "Maybe it just meant to be, I mean you could've been one of those rapist ax murderers about to commit his first crimes.." This is not how we end a conversation and is certainly awkward enough.One aspect of the film is the characters obsessions with death Meryl frequently envisions accidents occurring around her leading to her death, including being eaten by a shark, getting strangled by a random stranger and having a train derail above her and crash onto her. Does this tell us she is suicidal? or maybe paranoid? It is never made clear which aggravated us even further! If she indeed was paranoid about her safety then surely Justine Clarke would have taken this into account in her performance. An anxious character would act timid, afraid and withdrawn, rushing from place to place to avoid any conflicts or confrontations. However in the film she just lazily walks around with an expression that would make her seem either insane or high! The serious tone of the situation, that being bad things can happen anywhere, is is turned into a laughable series of the character almost dying in hilarious ways. She must be insane.Our class was shown a short animated film by Sarah Watt before she made this film. It entailed a mother similar to Meryl in that she thought of dangerous situations around her going through her daily routine. This just proved that the film Look Both Ways was a continuation of this short film, just on a bigger scale.There were 4 copies of this film at my local video rental store (I could not bring myself to buy this) which hadn't been rented since release, and I know why. Don't see this, for the love of god go rent something more deserving like Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? or The Seventh Seal as they both deal with similar themes of death and indifference between people yet are actually capable of pulling them off flawlessly.

I had the great fortune of viewing this film and seeing a stage performance of Chekovs "Three Sisters" in the same weekend. It was the second time I had seen Look Both Ways. Once is usually enough for me to see a film, but Look Both Ways is eminently re-viewable. There is something new every time. Just as we can look at Three Sisters over and over again, Look Both Ways has the 'everybody is related" thread, as has Chekov's great drama. So Chekov has to be staged; it is "formal" drama. LBW is naturalistic, and the actors perform to style. Both scripts are about death - death past, and death to come. The Doctor in TS says "It doesn't matter". In LBW, it does matter, but it draws people together. Did anyone else notice that the condolence card the train driver delivered to the widow was writer/director Sarah Watt's work? The conversation is recorded as a quote at the top of this site. I love this film.

A shoot in our stomach. This movie is visceral, emotional and preserves a unique sense of humor...and also can make you feel very uncomfortable..a very human and touching story...believable. Most of all this a believable story... I watched this movie yesterday at the 30th International Movie Festival here in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and had a surprise to see such an interesting and touching Australian movie. By bonding creativity and humanity in a strong history it captivated me. The anguish is around and many lost souls try to find their way in life fighting all kinds of adversities. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Good actors too! They show us creativity in a in depth tragical and casual history. And the insertion of the girls thoughts in painting format inserted in the narrative was very clever. Great Movie!

I concur with Mia-38's comment. This is an absorbing film, tastefully executed and rewarding to watch. Death is a daily topic in all media, part of which is shown in the film by the short animated sequences. This film takes us to what happens in our lives before that final event, death. One question raised is whether a particular death is accidental or possibly suicide. It has often been said that movies are a reactive medium. This film is sparse in dialog and much is told through expressions of some really fine acting. I believe this film will become a classic with time and be honored by many critics who on review will begin to appreciate the finesse and delicate technique of its creator. Please see this film and in so doing you will support a courageous distributor and a talented movie maker. Jim