Look Both Ways (2005)

During one unusually hot and tragic weekend, four people struggle after hearing some life-changing news, this in turn brings them together.

Director:

Sarah Watt

Writer:

Sarah Watt

Stars:

Mary Kostakidis, Justine Clarke, Daniela Farinacci

22 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mary Kostakidis	...	SBS Newsreader
Justine Clarke	...	Meryl Lee
Daniela Farinacci	...	Julia
Robbie Hoad	...	Rob (as Rob Hoad)
William McInnes	...	Nick
Leon Teague	...	Doctor
Andrew S. Gilbert	...	Phil
Anthony Hayes	...	Andy Walker
Elena Carapetis	...	Maria
Tamara Lee	...	Policewoman (as Tamara Lees)
Andreas Sobik	...	Train Driver
Lisa Flanagan	...	Anna
Irena Dangov	...	Train Driver's Wife
Jacquelynne Willcox	...	Current Affairs Reporter
Laura Peisley	...	Emily

Storyline

On a Friday after a horrific train crash, three newsmen in Adelaide must take stock: Nick, a photojournalist, learns he has cancer; Andy, a writer with two children who has a bad relationship with his ex, learns his girlfriend Anna is pregnant; Phil, an editor, realizes he's missing his children's growing up. That afternoon, Meryl, an artist who illustrates sympathy cards and constantly imagines disasters, witnesses a train accident kill a man. At the crash site, she meets Nick, and a relationship flowers over the next three days which makes them both question their lives, wants and needs. Nick's mother, Andy's kids and ex, the dead man's girlfriend, the driver of the train, and his son round out an ensemble of grief and sorrow as each character becomes linked to another through the train accident. Can decisions to act bring hope?

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Plot Keywords:

human immunodeficiency virus acquired immune deficiency syndrome | cake | cricket the sport | trainwreck | cell phone | 

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Taglines:

Meryl imagines disaster coming from every direction - train crashes, man-eating sharks, baby-eating killer whales...and then there's Nick.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content and thematic material

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cinematographer / Director of Photography Ray Argall came out of retirement to shoot this picture.

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Quotes

Train driver: I'm the train driver. I'm sorry.
Julia: It wasn't your fault.

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Connections

Referenced in Look Both Ways: Featurette (2005)

User Reviews

Superb and Sublime

I don't give it a 10, because the style is not totally agreeable to me (I'm too old). But this film was a shocking surprise for all its richness. When my friend said "Australian film", I immediately said, "Yes, it's been too long since I've seen one. I always like their films".

I had recently watched the older American film , Grand Canyon, and found apt comparisons. But here's what my companion and I loved about "Look Both Ways" - the characters were real, the scenery real, the main topic (death) made us squirm, but we recognized the reality that we would rather avoid. THe acting was superb, I especially believed Justine Clark as Meryl - her face IS the person who conjures those troubling cartoons. The film, the actors, the scenery was so unpretentious that we could believe it all. The cartoon flashes are peculiar, but we loved the artwork - can we buy copies? Loved the soundtrack too.

Grand Canyon, by contrast, is too clearly a story by a screenwriter, it has the production values of Hollywood (the better side of Hollywood, but still slick), it has well-known, attractive and very good actors. The story flows so well ... but you KNOW you're watching a fictional story that is acted and produced by world class talent. In other words, you cannot mistake it for reality.

Details

Official Sites:

Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund [Australia] Dendy Films [Australia]

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 August 2005 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Jobbra is, balra is

Filming Locations:

Modbury Hospital, Modbury, South Australia, Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,430, 16 April 2006

Gross USA:

$105,067

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,586,033

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hibiscus Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1