Responding to the Text - Practice SAC – Look Both Ways
The stories of all characters carry equal weight in Look Both Ways. What do you think?
All characters in the film Look Both Ways are burdened with a weight, yet this burden is not equal for all the characters. Each character including Nick, Meryl, Andy and Anna deals with their own trauma or problem throughout the film yet their character often deals with the weight in their own way. The characteristics of each involved allow them to handle the weight in their own way; therefore each is not entirely equal. For the characters personality defines how they react to different events throughout the film.
Nicks weight is arguably the heaviest of them all. After being diagnosed with cancer, Nick somewhat collapses in a calm state, and even hides away from the reality to an extent. Once diagnosed, we see Nick have flashes both forward and back of his life and the decisions he has made. Although the images flashing throughout the film add to the diagnoses of Nicks cancer, these are the actions that have causes Nick to carry this weight later in life.
Also in the film do we see flashes of Nick’s father who also passed away from cancer. When Nick decides to tell his mother he feels reluctant as he does not want to add to his mothers burdens. Nick carry’s the weight of cancer and ultimately, his own death, yet after meeting Meryl does his the linger and sight of death leave for a brief moment in life.
Nicks weight is not equal yet in his handling of it does it seem less compared to some, such as Meryl.
Meryl’s weight is that of her chosen path. After returning from her father’s funeral does she witness a traumatic train accident. This accident adds to the thought of death that is already plaguing her mind. We she images of her in the path of death around this time of trauma throughout the film. As we see her return home we see she has little in life. She is without alot of money, she is a struggling painter, even mentioning things such as her “sister ate all the smoked salmon sandwiches at her dads funeral” add to her struggle to deal with the trauma she witnesses. In saying this, her weight is that of death and its surroundings. Meryl finds however a friend in Nick in whom she meets at the accident site. Her weight is somewhat lifted as their friend ship grows. Meryl does not see death in Nicks eyes and finds something to ease her given weight of trauma and life’s situation. Towards the end of the film and deeper into Meryl and Nicks relationships do emotions start to flow from her. This is where we see Meryl’s weight is much like Nicks in that she hides it from the world and continues her self induced state of life.
Much like Meryl, Andy’s weight is that of his own doing. His job as a single parent, a journalist and his lifestyle choices cause him to bear his own weight and being to question his own existence. Andy’s weight is much like ‘death by a thousand cuts’. Therefore Andy’s weight is brought upon himself. Everything in his life seems to hard to comprehend and because he is very upfront with his emotions, we get the sense he carrying more weight than others. His somewhat depressive state and questioning of life. Everything leads to his explosive outbursts. His divorce, his impregnating of Anna, his career as a journalist is going now where, his stories aren’t being recognised, nothing goes right that leads to him bearing the weight he does. Nicks weight is not as personal as that of Nick and Meryl.
Anna’s weight is somewhat similar to that of Meryl’s. Anna’s life choices lead to her having her own weight. The main thought in Anna’s head is children, as clearly we see in her life the question is asked “do you have children”? Anna is impregnated by Andy and finds it hard to cope with the burden of keeping or aborting the child within her. Much like the rest of the characters, her weight is somewhat self induced and as a result does she search for freedom. Her weight is not so much equal to that of everyone else’s but the choices in which she wish to handle it somewhat play down her situation.
Characters such as Phil have weight such as lifestyle choices and not equal to that of characters such as Nick. As a result of Nicks diagnosis, Phil is inspired to live life to the fullest, therefore has not the equal weight of Nick.
Julia however (wife of Rob who was killed in train accident) is given alot of weight to bear after losing her husband. Along with Andy’s article about the possible suicide and people thinking they can grief for Rob does Julia carry the weight and find it hard to let go of her husband. Although the train driver carries the weight of taking responsibility. He struggle to come to terms with the accident and seeks out Julia to apologise and somewhat clear his consciousness. It is at this point that both Julia and the train driver’s weight are somewhat lifted. The Train driver feels relief and Julia finds a way to let go of what weighs her down, her husbands’ death.
All the characters carry as weight of some sort. Each has their own agenda on their mind and each is burdened with accidents and circumstances from everyday life. However each person is different and with difference comes different ways of handling things. That is why each characters weight is not equal. Some grief and contemplate things one wouldn’t without other weights on their life. The added weight of each character is somewhat of an equaliser, yet does not make each weight equal. Every characters circumstance is different, yet through each other do they connect and move back on track in life and its path.
The stories of all characters carry equal weight in Look Both Ways. What do you think?
All characters in the film Look Both Ways are burdened with a weight, yet this burden is not equal for all the characters. Each character including Nick, Meryl, Andy and Anna deals with their own trauma or problem throughout the film yet their character often deals with the weight in their own way. The characteristics of each involved allow them to handle the weight in their own way; therefore each is not entirely equal. For the characters personality defines how they react to different events throughout the film.
Nicks weight is arguably the heaviest of them all. After being diagnosed with cancer, Nick somewhat collapses in a calm state, and even hides away from the reality to an extent. Once diagnosed, we see Nick have flashes both forward and back of his life and the decisions he has made. Although the images flashing throughout the film add to the diagnoses of Nicks cancer, these are the actions that have causes Nick to carry this weight later in life.
Also in the film do we see flashes of Nick’s father who also passed away from cancer. When Nick decides to tell his mother he feels reluctant as he does not want to add to his mothers burdens. Nick carry’s the weight of cancer and ultimately, his own death, yet after meeting Meryl does his the linger and sight of death leave for a brief moment in life.
Nicks weight is not equal yet in his handling of it does it seem less compared to some, such as Meryl.
Meryl’s weight is that of her chosen path. After returning from her father’s funeral does she witness a traumatic train accident. This accident adds to the thought of death that is already plaguing her mind. We she images of her in the path of death around this time of trauma throughout the film. As we see her return home we see she has little in life. She is without alot of money, she is a struggling painter, even mentioning things such as her “sister ate all the smoked salmon sandwiches at her dads funeral” add to her struggle to deal with the trauma she witnesses. In saying this, her weight is that of death and its surroundings. Meryl finds however a friend in Nick in whom she meets at the accident site. Her weight is somewhat lifted as their friend ship grows. Meryl does not see death in Nicks eyes and finds something to ease her given weight of trauma and life’s situation. Towards the end of the film and deeper into Meryl and Nicks relationships do emotions start to flow from her. This is where we see Meryl’s weight is much like Nicks in that she hides it from the world and continues her self induced state of life.
Much like Meryl, Andy’s weight is that of his own doing. His job as a single parent, a journalist and his lifestyle choices cause him to bear his own weight and being to question his own existence. Andy’s weight is much like ‘death by a thousand cuts’. Therefore Andy’s weight is brought upon himself. Everything in his life seems to hard to comprehend and because he is very upfront with his emotions, we get the sense he carrying more weight than others. His somewhat depressive state and questioning of life. Everything leads to his explosive outbursts. His divorce, his impregnating of Anna, his career as a journalist is going now where, his stories aren’t being recognised, nothing goes right that leads to him bearing the weight he does. Nicks weight is not as personal as that of Nick and Meryl.
Anna’s weight is somewhat similar to that of Meryl’s. Anna’s life choices lead to her having her own weight. The main thought in Anna’s head is children, as clearly we see in her life the question is asked “do you have children”? Anna is impregnated by Andy and finds it hard to cope with the burden of keeping or aborting the child within her. Much like the rest of the characters, her weight is somewhat self induced and as a result does she search for freedom. Her weight is not so much equal to that of everyone else’s but the choices in which she wish to handle it somewhat play down her situation.
Characters such as Phil have weight such as lifestyle choices and not equal to that of characters such as Nick. As a result of Nicks diagnosis, Phil is inspired to live life to the fullest, therefore has not the equal weight of Nick.
Julia however (wife of Rob who was killed in train accident) is given alot of weight to bear after losing her husband. Along with Andy’s article about the possible suicide and people thinking they can grief for Rob does Julia carry the weight and find it hard to let go of her husband. Although the train driver carries the weight of taking responsibility. He struggle to come to terms with the accident and seeks out Julia to apologise and somewhat clear his consciousness. It is at this point that both Julia and the train driver’s weight are somewhat lifted. The Train driver feels relief and Julia finds a way to let go of what weighs her down, her husbands’ death.
All the characters carry as weight of some sort. Each has their own agenda on their mind and each is burdened with accidents and circumstances from everyday life. However each person is different and with difference comes different ways of handling things. That is why each characters weight is not equal. Some grief and contemplate things one wouldn’t without other weights on their life. The added weight of each character is somewhat of an equaliser, yet does not make each weight equal. Every characters circumstance is different, yet through each other do they connect and move back on track in life and its path.
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