| © 2006 by C. E. Murphy. All Rights Reserved. |
| Look Both Ways |
William McInnes as Nick in
Look Both Ways, Sarah Watt,
Australia, 2005; 100 min.
Look Both Ways, Sarah Watt,
Australia, 2005; 100 min.
Look Both Ways was a
big winner at the 2005
Australian Film Institute
Awards, picking up prizes for
Best Picture, Best Director
(Sarah Watt in her feature
debut) and Best Supporting
Actor. The film, which unfolds
over the course of a weekend, is something of a departure for Australian cinema
as it takes and Altmanesque approach, following the lives of several characters,
all of whom intersect at the film's start due to a tragic event.
Meryl (Justine Clarke) sees doom and gloom all around her (and her daydreams
are vividly brought to life in appealingly hand-drawn animation). As she
negotiates life, Meryl sees train wrecks, rapes and murders, shark attacks,
drownings, etc. It's fairly safe to say that she's not exactly spreading sunshine.
On her way to home from her father's funeral, she is the only witness to an
accident.
Sent to investigate the story are Nick (William McInness), a newspaper
photographer who has just received a diagnosis of testicular cancer, and Andy
(Anthony Hayes), a divorced reporter experiencing difficulties in his current
relationship with girlfriend Anna (Lisa Flanaghan). There's chemistry between
Nick and Meryl and it perhaps comes as little surprise that they will tentatively
begin a relationship. Both are damaged goods, with the spectre of death
hanging over each. The issue at stake is whether or not these two guarded
people can allow themselves to give over to happiness.
Watt juggles the many strands of her story well, and while the technique of
having Meryl's fears manifest themselves via animation becomes a bit tired,
Look Both Ways works well. The cast all deliver letter-perfect performances,
and one of my favorite Australian actresses, Sacha Horler, appears in a brief
cameo.
Rating: B
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