An amiably bittersweet Australian ensemble comedy-drama somewhat reminiscent of the Oscar-winning Crash, the various characters in Sarah Watt's Look Both Ways are brought together when a man is killed—whether by accident or choice—by a slow-moving train as he walks his dog along the tracks. The reaction of his wife when she arrives at the scene is caught by a newspaper photographer who's struggling with the fact that he's just been diagnosed with cancer. Meanwhile, a somewhat disheveled local artist who is given to brief “visions” of disaster (shown in darkly comic animated versions of her paintings) is just returning from her father's funeral, witnesses the incident, and eventually befriends the cameraman, who's reluctant to become too closely attached due to his illness. In other narrative strands, the reporter on the scene is later accosted by his girlfriend with the news that she's pregnant, and the train conductor struggles with guilt over the accident. The unifying theme here, of course, is that even though tragedy may lurk right around the next corner, human beings can't let their lives be ruled by fear or despair. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a 14-minute interview with writer-director Sarah Watt, a 14-minute interview with star Justine Clarke, and a stills gallery. Bottom line: a small but solid extras package for a fine little film.] (F. Swietek)
Look Both Ways
Kino, 100 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.99, Dec. 5 Volume 21, Issue 6
Look Both Ways
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