Look Away (2018)

Look Away review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

If Look Away was an episode of a horror anthology, it would be at the tail end of its run. It’d be the episode pitched more as a fascinating idea while never truly reaching the potential it could evoke. It’s not that the idea of a mirror universe can’t be an intriguing bit of hidden horror, especially when pitched with a high school protagonist. But, wow, does this film miss the mark more often than it grazes it.

Maria Brennan (India Eisley) is portrayed as the outcast teen of her high school. She is bullied by most of the school, with one of the lead bullies being Mark (John C. MacDonald). She has a friend she envies, Lily (Penelope Mitchell), and a boy she has a crush on, Sean (Harrison Gilbertson). She finds no solace at home where her dad is too strict and her mother is depressed.

But her life takes an odd turn when she stumbles upon a sonogram showcasing twins. Later, she starts hearing voices from her reflection in the mirror. Soon she discovers that she has an evil double within the mirror, going by the name Airam because backwards names sound spooky, I guess? Moreover, she learns that she can swap places with the double and the duplicate will vow to fix all her social problems. Of course, fixing her problems essentially means revenge as Airam goes on a rampage of violence, not merely outing the bullies but slitting their throats as well.

Look Away is sadly more of a teenage revenge fantasy than any deeper contemplation on the psyche of a teenage girl unsure of herself. When Maria and Airam swap places, it’s not exactly a Prince and the Pauper kinda thing. We don’t see Maria’s perspective from the other side, only Airam’s quest for bloody satisfaction. Of course, an immediate question arises if Airam has any intention of letting Maria return. This question lingers until we’re delivered the more ambiguous ending of whether or not Maria has a double or if its just her own mental perception of rectifying her issues. Sadly, this questioning comes to late in the film after we’ve already seen the juicy bits of a teenager getting her revenge.

On that level, I can’t be too angered by Look Away. There’s some subtle psyche commentary on the shy wishing the worst on the world that is explored through mildly creative means of vulgarity and violence. But when it comes to dissecting Maria as a character, the film merely shrugs itself off with the whole reflective nature bit, coming off more as psychological peppering for what’s essentially a teenager girl killing spree. For only being that, it’s fine, but as with any teenager seen through the eyes of an adult, there’s so much more potential yet to be evoked.