Look Away (2018)
Written By: FR
Edited By: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Assaf Bernstein
Writer: Assaf Bernstein
Producers: Dana Lustig, Giora Kaplan, Brad Kaplan
Date Released: November 2, 2018
Cast:
India Eisley as Maria / Airam
Mira Sorvino as Amy
Jason Isaacs as Dan
Penelope Mitchell as Lily
Harrison Gilbertson as Sean
Rating = 3/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
Look Away is a psychological thriller that tells the story of Maria, an alienated high-school student who has been subject of bullying by the boys in her class. One day, she discovered a twin in the mirror’s reflection. In her desperate attempt to get out of her miserable life, she agreed to switch with the evil twin. But the newfound freedom unleashes suppressed feelings of mostly evil intent.
Gore Factor
The film maintains a dark, depressing atmosphere throughout its run-time. Not a lot of gory scenes but more of psychological torture. The lead character either kills or causes the death of other main characters in the second half of the film. The deaths are disturbing — especially when she slices her father’s throat with his scalpel.
The Grave Review
Look Away (2018) follows an 18 year old girl, Maria (India Eisley) who is depressed and unhappy with the way her current life has been going. Her father, Dan (Jason Issacs) who is a plastic surgeon, always seems to weigh in on her physical appearance causing her to do irrational things such as losing weight even though she is already thin.
Quite troubled, Maria also does not sleep all too well because school and home life are just too unbearable for her to deal with. It does not help that her best friend, Lily (Penelope Mitchell) seems to be drifting away from her over the years and a boy named Mark (John C. MacDonald) who bullies her at school, is not making life any easier for the high school girl. Meanwhile, Maria’s mother (Mira Sorvino) tries to help, she has her own demons to deal with as she tries to help her daughter cope with life’s challenges. This ultimately leaves her feeling alone until an unlikely ally named Airam comes in to free her from her burden of a life. The deal though comes at a price, and it becomes more of a trap than a break from her life’s problems.
A strong cast, everyone involved with Look Away portrays their characters amazingly. From Issacs’ perfect depiction of the permissive idealist father to Sorvino’s well-done performance of a deeply troubled and depressed mother, there is no shortage of star quality in this film. Eisley’s portrayal of the modest and insensible Maria to the confident, as well as the rage-driven Airam, and MacDonald’s realistic portrayal of the school bully, really takes the plot further, making it much more believable. Aiding the solid acting, the cinematography also does wonders, giving Maria a claustrophobic environment at home and at school that she cannot escape from.
All in all, there are some truly great moments in Look Away (2018), but there are also others that feel rushed or times where the violence overtake the plot. The movie is worth checking out in spite of the ambiguous setup of the story.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives Look Away (2018) three graves out of five graves.
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