Look Away - Lo sguardo del male

Actors were great but the writing and directing, not so much. A lot of scenes felt over the top, forced, and unbelievable. Like "That would never really happen that way" and made me cringe and shake my head. If the writing and directing had been a little more creative and realistic, it could have been a great movie.

I loved this movie! The motley crew of characters were beautifully portrayed by the cast. From jason Isaacs self indulgent, perfectionism - to Mira Sorvino's disturbing deep-seated sadness and her hunger for her husbands attention - to John C. MacDonald's portrayal of the school bully, who deep inside knows he could never get the attentions of the beautiful Maria. Yes, he was incredibly believable, they all were.

And lets not forget (how could we she was SO good,)India Eisley. She was exceptional to say the least and she's a new find for me. Needless to say, I want to see more of her. Her portrayal of the demure, disturbed, invisible school girl to her confident, angry alter-ego twin, was flawless. Her expressions alone were noteworthy. I think and hope we're going to see more of this young actress in the near future.

Was this a perfect movie, no. There are flaws and I think the ending needed a bit more attention but I was in for the long haul within the first 10 minutes and I'm glad I stayed the course because it delivered. IMO it's worth a watch and definitely worth your time.

Maria (India Eisley) is a timid high school senior. Her father Dan (Jason Isaacs) is a plastic surgeon who is obsessed with perfect looks. Her mother Amy (Mira Sorvino) is struggling with depression. At school, her only friend figure skater Lily is possessive of her boyfriend Sean. She gets bullied by schoolmate Mark and his friends. She starts having visions of her reflections acting differently and talking back to her. The reflection calls herself Airam.

It has the tone of a good slow moody horror without the scares. It is a bit too slow and Mark really needs to die to set it off. Mark's bullying is problematic when the only person coming to her rescue is Sean. The skating party comes off really weird when everybody is laughing at her. There is one creepy aspect to this movie. While India is 25 and the character is 18, India looks really young and the sexual erotic aspect gets voyeuristic. It would be less creepy if she's playing a college student. She's a quiet actress and seems limited in range. She is able to play two separate personalities and that works better than expected.

Look Away: The Evil Twin is a much (ab)used trope in Horror but this film puts some life back into the genre. Maria (India Elsley) is an introverted teen, bullied at school, her demanding father (Jason Isaacs) doesn't really listen to her, her mother suffers from depression due to Isaac's philandering. She notices that her reflection differs from her and is at first freaked out but gradually starts to converse with her mirror image, Airam. Maria's life gets even worse, the bullying intensifies and she comes into conflict with her one friend. Airam persuades Maria to let her "come through" the mirror" and take the driving seat. This Dark Maria causes mayhem.

It is never clear as to whether Maria is suffering from a disorder or whether the consciousness of a lost twin lives on within her. Iaram is truly a mirror image, turning the tables on bullies and resorting to savage violence. No one is safe once she has set her aims on a desired object. The real horror in this film is the bullying which is ignored/overlooked by adults and tolerated by school students. Nasty though Airam's actions are, they take place in a context. A certain eerie gothic quality permeates the film. Not a classic but Director/Writer Assaf Bernstein delivers an intriguing Horror/Thriller. 7.5/10. On Netflix.

'Look Away's' main attraction was its premise, maybe not exactly original, the ideas themselves are not new really but it did sound like the film was trying to do something fresh with them. Nonetheless though, it actually sounded very creepy and interesting. Some of 'Look Away' sounded like it could be relatable too. The cover and advertising were attention-grabbing and looked creepy, almost nightmarish, and also like Jason Isaacs quite a lot as an actor.

Seeing it, being encouraged by people saying it was for them better than expected and the above average rating as of now, 'Look Away' is not a great film and has flaws. Which actually happened to be the general consensus for the film hearing about it. Unfortunately these flaws are not large and a couple bring the film down rather significantly. As indicated though, there are quite a number of good things here in 'Look Away'. Would call it decent but uneven, which is actually not too bad a position to be in as a film and an acceptable distinction.

Beginning with 'Look Away's' good things, the acting is better than average. India Eisley carries the film intensely and poignantly and Isaacs is good support. So is Penelope Mitchell. Mira Sorvino is not the best used but she does a reasonable job too. The film shows a foreboding atmosphere and has a slickness to how it's shot. The use of sound is suitably ominous and not obvious or cheaply recorded.

Most of the story compels. There is a genuine creepiness, with the mirror image being appropriately sinister. There also is some subtle tension and the melancholic tone to some parts is poignantly done. Found myself relating to the protagonist, none of it is intelligence insulting (generally the viewer is treated with relative respect) while there is an effort to not be predictable. The direction is more than competent.

There are issues though. The script can be quite weak and sounded underwritten. Some of the pace is a bit too slow and like trudging through mud in the scenes where there is not as much as going on as others, a bit of trimming might have helped.

Am aware that Mark is not really a character one is meant to be like, one that one is meant to feel anger towards, but he never really grows in development and irritates throughout. Worst of all, as others have said, is the ending, which took ambiguity and unresolved questions to extremes and came over as confusing and unfinished.

Overall, an uneven film but with a good deal to commend it. 6/10 Bethany Cox