Look Both Ways

Back in 2005, Look Both Ways swept the Australian Film Institute awards with 11 nominations and 4 wins. It seemed to strike a chord with the criticial community but, in the fashion of most AFI winners, didn't really make an impression on the wider public. It's unfortunate because, whilst it has a lot in common with the insular and artistically-elite films the AFI tends to favour, it also happens to be an inventive and quite funny films that rewards the average viewer just as much as it might stimulate the intellectual set. It's a film both cynical and optimistic, a sprawling and colourful meditation on the modern world we've made for ourselves. It's like Australian pub philosophy put onto the big screen, but in a good way.

In the tradition of those big multi-character 'concept' dramas that were so popular with critics from about 1999 to 2007 (EG. 21 Grams, Crash, Lantana...), Look Both Ways takes a single tragic event (the accidental death of a man who chases his dog out of the way of a freight train) and shows us the stories of the people whose lives briefly intersect in the aftermath. Primarily, there's Meryl, the woman who witnessed it (Justine Clark), and Nick the newspaper photographer (William McInnes) who accompanies journalist Andy (Anthony Hayes) to the scene of the accident. In less focus but perhaps of no less importance are also the train driver (Andreas Sobik) and the wife of the victim (Daniela Farinacci), mostly wordless roles that reflect the grief-laden consequences of the accident that the subsequent newspaper article fails to take into account.

Meryl is an artist with an overactive imagination, she anxiously sees her impending death everywhere (represented by short, wonderfully rendered animated sequences). Nick is facing possible death by prostate cancer, and stands on the cusp of entering into a relationship with Meryl. He fears putting her through his terminal illness, but he also fears being alone. Through them we witness the sum of modern life's anxieties... fatty food, carcinogenic substances, microwaves, sharks, the media, etc. It's the story of the horrible facsimile of the world we've created for ourselves, and the neverending fear of death that goes with it - all the negativity and pressimism that comes to each of us via outside forces (not least of all the media). The character of Andy is important too, he's a journalist with a chip on his shoulder, desperately trying to make sense o fthe world by interpreting random accidents as a conspiracy of suicides. Tellingly, he also has issues of his own that he'd rather not face.

The relaxed pace of the Adelaide-setting inevitably makes all these worries feel like aggresive and unfounded interlopers. If I was feeling trite I might suggest that the film's ultimate message is that cricket is a force for good. I have some issues with the way the film wraps things up... it's a kind of cinematic sleight of hand, resolving and creative drama by choosing to show us only certain things at certain points. It's a strange way to tie up a plot, but then again - how else do you end a film that is essentially about a concept rather than plot? Something could be said about the artificial imposition of narrative onto real life, and the way film tries to reflect reality whilst simultaneously making for a satisfying viewing experience. I could write a lot more about that, but the fact that it's made me think so much tells me that thi smight not neccessarily be a flaw so I shouldn't try to tear it down. It is a good film, it's funny and emotional and it certainly isn't boring. What more could you ask for?

DIRECTOR: Sarah Watt
WRITER/SOURCE: Sarah Watt
KEY ACTORS: Justine Clark, William McInnes, Anthony Hayes, Andrew Gilbert, Lisa Flanagan, Daniela Farinacci, Andreas Sobik

RELATED TEXTS:
- As mentioned in the review, Look Both Ways fits into that subgenre of critic-aimed drama where the plot revolves around a large set of characters who are only tenuously-linked at best. Other examples include Magnolia, Traffic, Crash, Babel, Lantana, 21 Grams.
- Director-writer Sarah Watt's follow-up film was My Year Without Sex, which also dealt with ideas relating to terminal illness.

AWARDS
AFIs - won Best Film, Best Direction, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Anthony Hates). Also nominated for Best Actor (William McInnes), Best Actress (Justine Clark), Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Sound, and Best Supporting Actres (Daniela Farinacci).