''Look Both Ways'' is a 2005 Australian drama film, written and directed by Sarah Watt, starring an ensemble cast, which was released on 18 August 2005. The film was supported by the

Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund The Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund was established in 2003 by the South Australian Premier, Mike Rann, to boost the local production of films. When the American festival director Peter Sellars was director of the 2002 Adelaide Festival o ...

and opened the 2005 Adelaide Film Festival. It won four AFI Awards, including Best Film and Best Direction. The film was selected as a film text by the

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) is a statutory authority of the Victoria State Government responsible for the provision of curriculum and assessment programs for students in Victoria, Australia. The VCAA is primarily a ...

for the VCE English Course from 2007 to 2010.

Plot

The film charts the stories of several people over a hot summer weekend in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. Photojournalist Nick (

William McInnes Daryl William Mathew Gabriel McInnes (born 10 September 1963) is an Australian film and television actor and writer. He portrayed the role of Matt Tivolli in '' The Time of Our Lives''. He is best known for his roles as Senior Constable Nick Sc ...

) discovers he has

testicular cancer Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system. Symptoms may include a lump in the testicle, or swelling or pain in the scrotum. Treatment may result in infertility. Risk factors include an ...

that has spread to his lungs. On his way home he goes to the site of a train accident to report on it, and meets Meryl (

Justine Clarke Justine Clarke (born 16 November 1971) is an Australian actress, singer, musician, author and television host. She has been acting since the age of seven and has appeared in some of Australia's best-known TV shows. She is best known as a presen ...

) an emotionally vulnerable artist, who has witnessed a man get run over by a train. Over the course of the weekend, their relationship develops sexually as another chance encounter allows them to discover more about each other; the two gradually allow themselves to let go of their fears and form a meaningful relationship. Meanwhile, Nick's colleague, Andy Walker, has to deal with the news that his estranged girlfriend, Anna, is pregnant, made more difficult because neither of them really wanted or planned for a baby. Andy also has to cope with his ex-wife, who doesn't trust his ability to take good care of his two children. The lives of Julia (the partner of the man run over by the train) and the driver of the train are explored: Both characters are shown going through the seven stages of grief. The train driver bridges the gap with his estranged teenage son during the course of the movie. The rain at the end of the film symbolises relief. The film ends with a flick-through montage of events: Nick in hospital, suffering the effects of treatment, Nick and Meryl's child, finally holidaying in Europe; enjoying whatever time they have left together.

Cast

as Nick *

as Meryl Lee * Anthony Hayes as Andy Walker * Lisa Flanagan as Anna * Andrew Gilbert as Phil *

Daniella Farinacci Daniela Farinacci (also credited as Daniella Farinaci) is an Australian actress of Italian descent, who has many television, film and theatre credits. Farinacci is perhaps best known for her role in the Australian movie ''Lantana'' as Paula, alo ...

as Julia *

Maggie Dence Margaret Helen Dence (born 1 February 1942) is an Australian actress of stage and screen, with a career spanning some seven decades. She is equally at home in both comedy and drama roles, and is best known to early audiences for her roles in t ...

as Joan *

Edwin Hodgeman Edwin Hodgeman (born 26 June 1935) is an Australian actor. He was born in Adelaide, South Australia. He is known for playing Dr Dealgood in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in (1985). Selected filmography * '' The Fourth Wish'' (1976) .... Simms * ...

as Jim * Andreas Sobik as Train Driver * Alex Rafalowicz as Train Driver's Son *

Sacha Horler Sacha Horler (born 1971) is an Australian actress. Her parents were lawyers, but co-founded Sydney's Nimrod Theatre Company in the early 1970s. Career Sacha Horler graduated from Sydney's National Institute of Dramatic Arts in 1993 and made ...

as Linda * Robbie Hoad as Rob (Train Victim) * Mary Kostakidis as SBS Newsreader

Awards

* 2004 Won Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Film Script – the Pacific Film and Television Commission Award for Sarah Watt * 2005 Won

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

: Discovery Award, Sarah Watt * 2005 Won Australian Film Institute Awards: Best Film, Best Direction, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor ( Anthony Hayes) * 2005 Nominated Australian Film Institute Awards: Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Lead Actor (

), Best Lead Actress (

), Best Production Design, Best Sound, and Best Supporting Actress (

) * 2005 Won Brisbane International Film Festival: FIPRESCI award, Sarah Watt * 2005 Won

Inside Film Awards The Inside Film Awards (now known as the IF Awards) is an annual awards ceremony and broadcast platform for the Australian film industry, developed by the creators of Inside Film Magazine, Stephen Jenner and David Barda, and originally produced fo ...

: Best Direction, Best Script, and Best Editing * 2005 Nominated

: Best Actress (Justine Clarke), Best Feature Film, Best Music, and Best Sound * 2005 Nominated

European Film Awards The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the mo ...

: Screen International Award, Sarah Watt * 2005 Won

Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards The Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) is an association of cinema critics and reviewers. It includes journalists in "media, television, major national and state papers, radio, national and state, online and freelance writers, Australian ...

: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor in a Lead Role for (William McInnes), Best Original Screenplay and Best Editor * 2005 Nominated

: Best Actress in Lead Role (Justine Clarke), Best Actress in Supporting Role ( Lisa Flanagan), and Best Musical Score * 2006 Won Australian Screen Directors' Association: Best Direction of a First Feature Film * 2006 Won

NatFilm Festival The NatFilm Festival, staged annually across 16 cinemas in Copenhagen, in addition to several in Odense, Aalborg (replaced by Kolding in 2007) and Århus, shows the widest programme of films to the largest festival audience in Denmark. Establishe ...

: Critics Award, Sarah Watt * 2006 Won International Film Festival Rotterdam KNF Award, Sarah Watt * 2006 Won

Motovun Film Festival The Motovun Film Festival is an annual film festival established in 1999 and held in the small town of Motovun, Croatia. It usually takes place over five or six days in late July or early August. Overview Motovun Film Festival is entirely dedic ...

— Propeller Award (Grand Prize), Sarah Watt * 2006 Won

Golden Trailer Awards The Golden Trailer Awards are an American annual award show for film trailers founded in 1999. The awards also honor the best work in all areas of film and video game marketing, including posters, television advertisements and other media, in ...

: Most Original Foreign Trailer * 2006 Won

Mar del Plata Film Festival The Mar del Plata International Film Festival ( es, Festival Internacional de Cine de Mar del Plata) is an international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina. It is the only competitive feature fes ...

: Best Script (Sarah Watt), Best actress (Justine Clark) * 2006 Nominated

: Best Film

Box office

''Look Both Ways'' grossed $2,969,712 at the box office in Australia.

References

External links