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88It is poetic and unforgiving, romantic and stark. Death is the subject we edge around.
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83Ineffably Australian and intriguingly (rather than annoyingly) artsy, Look Both Ways introduces a handful of people gobsmacked by life-changing crises, all of them trying to make sense of responsibility, mortality, and connection.
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83If Look Both Ways has a familiar form, this sort of emphasis on humanity, with which the film refreshingly pulses, is rare.
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The best Australian film to hit local screens in more than a year. Although lacking any internationally renowned actors to win more than limited release, the film's energy and stylistic daring mark it as a true original.
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80A fearless movie about a fearful subject, an unusually empathetic and quite funny film that deals with death and dying in the most offbeat and casually life-affirming way. Exceptionally smart, playful and perceptive, Look Both Ways confronts things that people would rather avoid.
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80Though Watt's emphasis on coincidence and fate seems strained at times, Look Both Ways is rich in dreamy summer atmosphere and deadpan wit.
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Watt's direction is stylish, and her choices feel sure-handed.
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75There's something optimistic in the filmmaker's clear-eyed, straightforward storytelling style.
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75The morbid theme notwithstanding, this is by no means a downbeat film, and it ends with the rather hopeful thought that for every disaster there's also a chance for survival.
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75It's a tricky tonal dance that Watt, minor missteps aside, glides through with feeling.
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70An unassuming, unadventurous, but likable dramedy about dying and grief.
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70An imaginative, humorous and truthful contemplation of human reaction to the inexplicable.
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67The best parts of the movie are its occasional animated sequences.
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63Best of all is newcomer Justine Clarke playing a dour illustrator. Clarke's fascinating features register emotions at war, but always governed by a sense of self-deprecating humor.
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63The debut live-action feature of Australian animator Sarah Watt has several other things to recommend it as well, including a black-humored screenplay, realistic performances, eye-catching artwork, and a few creative turns on some well-worn themes.
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60A dreamy but tough ensemble indie that delivers its existential angst with a straight-up Aussie drawl.
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Even when it spreads itself too thin, Look Both Ways enlarges your perception of the here-and-now--and what movies can do to transcend it.
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60Watt's script is a bit overstuffed, and by the end the roiling animated sequences (drawn by Emma Kelly and inked by Watt and Clare Callinan) are wearing out their welcome. But the convincing characters and hearty examination of mortality make this fresh and oddly uplifting.
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58After the first hour, it's clear the movie isn't going to offer any surprising new insights into messed-up modernity.
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50Works its way to an improbably cheerful ending, but getting there is a slow trip.
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An endearingly quirky independent film from Australia, with very likable characters and an intriguing premise.
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This sincere but ultimately empty indie film plays like Australia's answer to ensemble pieces like "Magnolia" and "Short Cuts."
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50Watt seems to want to say something about the role of fate and happenstance in creating connections between people, but she never quite brings the strands of her ideas together.
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Bogged down by the stylistic gimmickry of bustling montages and jarring animated segments, Look Both Ways aims for existential drama but succeeds only in reminding us that misery loves company.
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 3 out of 3
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Mixed: 0 out of 3
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Negative: 0 out of 3
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Sharon10
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Brutus9
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JemmaW.9I thought this movie was great, i seen it whilst on holiday in NZ. Very moving. would avoid if feeling extremely depressed mind. but worth a look.