LOOK BOTH WAYS

Look Both Ways is effectively an updated version of 1998’s Sliding Doors, in which we explore two variations of one woman’s life. One in which she got pregnant at a young age, and one in which she didn’t.

Unfortunately, throughout its deceptively short 110 minute runtime, I couldn’t help fantasising that there was another variation of my life. One in which I’d decided to watch something, anything else.

If I have to scramble for a positive, and believe me that is the only way you’ll find one, it’s that it presents each version of life without comment or judgement. It does not say that one is better, or more desirable, than the other, just that they are markedly different. Each has highs and lows. Each has its challenges, and its rewards.

Unfortunately, that is about as far as the positives go. The journey of each variant - to borrow a term from the MCU - follows a similar path. The highs happening at the same time, followed by the predictable lows happening at the same time. It would have been interesting to see them mix these journeys up somewhat, however it felt a lot like the film makers were more interested in the destination than the journey.

As if they had an image of the final shot and worked backwards from there.

Director Wanuri Kahiu is an experienced voice in the world of African film, however here I found her direction to be dull. There was an opportunity to do something interesting, at least visually, in how they distinguish between the two realities, but it felt like little thought had gone into this. Each one presented in much the same way as the other.

Furthermore, minimal effort is made to flesh out the characters or make them feel like they actually exist in the world of the film.

Lili Reinharts Natalie is portrayed as a rising star in animation, however it feels like her sketches can be found in any children’s book store, and when we finally see some of the animation in action it is so brief it is hard to believe in her success.

Similarly, Danny Ramirez’s Gabe, in one of the realities, is presented as someone whose band is on the verge of breaking through and making it big. But the one time we see them perform they are performing a cover of a ten year old song. They sound good, but they are not the band that is described during the rest of the movie.

This is a problem. A film like this lives and dies on the strength of it’s characters, and failing to make them feel real is effectively hammering the final nail into the coffin before the film has even begun

Look Both Ways is the latest entry in an increasingly persistent sub-genre of Romantic Comedies that manage to be neither romantic nor comedic. The chemistry between the leads fizzles rather than fizzes, and I found it hard to care what happened to any of them.

While it can be commended for presenting each reality without prejudice, it cannot get away from the fact that it is an unoriginal premise, led by an insipid cast of character and uninspired direction.