There is a defining moment in "Look Away" when Maria Brennan is sitting in class with her new boyfriend Sean. It has only been days since Maria was responsible for the death of Sean's girlfriend, Lilly. The lecturer is describing Dante's ninth circle of hell in the "Inferno." The name of this region is Cocytus where souls are encased in ice. Maria and Sean then leave class and enter into the freezing cold outdoors. Welcome to Cocytus!
The most interesting relationship in this film was that of Maria and her doppelganger named Airam. A possible meaning of that name in Urdu is "wished for child." Such a child was abandoned by the Brennan family because it was born deformed. But she now returns in the form of the mirror image of Maria.
Airam has everything that Maria lacks: ego, self-confidence, and the determination not to be a doormat. When they switch places, Airam moves into action, and it is payback time! First, she hobbles Mark, the young hockey player who has been harassing her in school. Next comes Lilly, who was presumably her best friend, but in fact, was her bete noir. Finally, Airam is left to deal with her parents, especially the father whom the film more or less portrays in an act of infanticide.
The actress playing Maria/Airam was successful in character differentiation. Far from being the anti-social and timid Maria, Airam knows precisely what she wants to achieve: control over others. Maria was hoping for a miracle when she switched places with her mirror image. Instead, they both landed in hell.
It was disappointing that the film included so much violence and did not include an effective resolution. Its strength was as a psychological film, and it moved too far into the horror genre. It also became too arty at the end with trick photography. Apparently, the police were onto the antics of Airam. It is only a matter of time when she will want to retreat back into her safe world of the mirror on the wall.
The most interesting relationship in this film was that of Maria and her doppelganger named Airam. A possible meaning of that name in Urdu is "wished for child." Such a child was abandoned by the Brennan family because it was born deformed. But she now returns in the form of the mirror image of Maria.
Airam has everything that Maria lacks: ego, self-confidence, and the determination not to be a doormat. When they switch places, Airam moves into action, and it is payback time! First, she hobbles Mark, the young hockey player who has been harassing her in school. Next comes Lilly, who was presumably her best friend, but in fact, was her bete noir. Finally, Airam is left to deal with her parents, especially the father whom the film more or less portrays in an act of infanticide.
The actress playing Maria/Airam was successful in character differentiation. Far from being the anti-social and timid Maria, Airam knows precisely what she wants to achieve: control over others. Maria was hoping for a miracle when she switched places with her mirror image. Instead, they both landed in hell.
It was disappointing that the film included so much violence and did not include an effective resolution. Its strength was as a psychological film, and it moved too far into the horror genre. It also became too arty at the end with trick photography. Apparently, the police were onto the antics of Airam. It is only a matter of time when she will want to retreat back into her safe world of the mirror on the wall.