Look Both Ways (Film Text)

Andy finds it difficult to communicate and make connections with others. To what extent does Look Both ways depict human communication as problematic.

In the film text "Look Both Ways", problems in communicating with people are examined through many of the main characters, especially with Andy. In life, communicating with others can be difficult particularly when circumstances arise in which you do not know how to express your personal feelings or there are past experiences that hinder the way you view life. In Andy's character we are presented with a man who has encountered an unfortunate past which affects his outlook on life, aswell as his ability to communicate with his partners, friends and family.

Many of the difficulties in communicating and making connections with other people are clearly distinguishable in many of the situations Andy comes across in within the film text.

Andy's pessimistic outlook on life seems to change his personality into a more bitter and angry one, which characters in the film cannot seem to relate with. A major contribution to his unhappy state of mind is due to the dissatisfaction he feels with work. It seems as if his job as a journalist has not lived up to his expectations of a meaningful and worthwhile occupation. The scene in which Andy leaves the performance of Macbeth to vent to Anna about the disappointments in his life, without any regard for her current situation, shows his character trait of self absorption taking over his ability to show consideration towards other people's lives. His self-importance and selfish attitude has left little room for any sympathy from Anna. This clearly illustrates that self absorption within one person's life can interfere with the connections we attempt to make with other people.

Similarly, Andy's strong desire to find evidence that will support his article on male suicide interferes with his ability to notice the implications within other people's lives.

Andy is so determined to make a connection between accidents and male suicides that he automatically assumes every accident is the cause of someone deliberately ending their life. Even before investigating the train accident involving Rob, Andy saw it as potential material for his article instead of showing compassion towards the death of a human being. In addition, Andy's single-minded personality affects his ability to pick up on Phil's hints, "This is not about you, Andy", that something is amiss within Nick's life.

These incidents prove that the strong desires and beliefs of people may not only hinder the way we view life, but also the way in which we are able to understand the circumstances of which people are in.

Andy's failures and mistakes in the past has also conditioned him in such a way that instead of communicating openly, he hides behind his newspaper article to reveal his honest opinions and feelings.