''Look Both Ways'' is a 2005 Australian drama film, written and directed by

Sarah Watt Sarah Ann Watt (30 August 19584 November 2011) was an Australian film director, writer, and animator. She is especially known for her 2005 film '' Look Both Ways''. Early life and education Sarah Ann Watt was born in Sydney on 30 August 1958. ...

, 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 The 2nd Adelaide Film Festival took place in Adelaide, Australia, from 18 February to 3 March 2005. Katrina Sedgwick was again Festival Director. Dennis O'Rourke received the 2005 Don Dunstan Award

. 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 The Victoria State Government, also referred to as the Victorian Government, is the executive government of the Australia ...

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 list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

Photojournalist Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (suc ...

Nick (

William McInnes Darryl William McInnes (born 10 September 1963) is an Australian film and television actor and writer. He is best known for his roles as Senior Constable Nick Schultz in ''Blue Heelers'', as Max Connors in '' SeaChange'', and more recently as ...

) 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 c ...

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 is an Australian actress, singer, author and television host. Clarke has been acting since the age of seven and has appeared in some of Australia's best-known TV shows. She is best-known for her portrayal as Roo Stewart on the ...

) 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 Lisa Flanagan is an Aboriginal Australian actress, known for her roles on stage and in television and film. Film roles include her debut movie ''Australian Rules (film), Australian Rules'' and ''Look Both Ways (2005 film), Look Both Ways'', whil ...

as Anna * Andrew Gilbert as Phil * Daniella Farinacci 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. Dence is best known to early audiences for her roles i ...

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 * '' Love and War: L'Flaherty, VC'' as ...

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

Sacha Horler Sacha Horler is an Australian actress. She was born on 12 February 1971. Her parents were lawyers, but co-founded Sydney's Nimrod Theatre Company in the early 1970s. Early life and education Sacha Horler graduated from Sydney's National I ...

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

Awards

* 2004 Won

Queensland Premier's Literary Awards The Queensland Premier's Literary Awards were an Australian suite of literary awards inaugurated in 1999 and disestablished in 2012. It was one of the most generous suites of literary awards within Australia, with $225,000 in prize money across ...

Film Script – the Pacific Film and Television Commission Award for

* 2005 Won

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

: Discovery Award, Sarah Watt * 2005 Won Australian Film Institute Awards: Best Film,

Best Direction The MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction is an award given to the artist, the artist's manager, and the director of the music video. From 1984 to 2006, the full name of the award was Best Direction in a Video, and in 2007, it was briefly renam ...

, 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 ( Daniella Farinacci) * 2005 Won

Brisbane International Film Festival The Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) is an annual film festival held in Brisbane, Australia. Organised by the Screen Culture unit at Screen Queensland, the festival has taken place since 1992, with the program including features, doc ...

FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for ''Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique'') is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the wor ...

award, Sarah Watt * 2005 Won

Inside Film Awards The IF Awards, formerly known as the Inside Film Awards, Lexus Inside Film Awards, Kodak IF Awards, and Jameson IF Awards, was an annual awards ceremony and broadcast platform for the Australian film industry. Its name derives from its origins at ...

: 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 mos ...

: Screen International Award, Sarah Watt * 2005 Won

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

: 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 (

), 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. Established ...

: Critics Award, Sarah Watt * 2006 Won

International Film Festival Rotterdam International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, focused on independent and experimental films. The inaugural festival took place in June 1972, ...

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 until 2023, when it moved to a new location, Petehovac in Gorski Kotar. It usually takes place over five or six days in late ...

— 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 10 ...

: Most Original Foreign Trailer * 2006 Won

Mar del Plata Film Festival The Mar del Plata International Film Festival () is an List of film festivals, international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina. It is the only competitive feature festival recognized by the FIAPF ...

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

: Best Film

Box office

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

References

External links