I watch too many romantic comedies.  At the same time, what is the alternative?  Much of what I view depends on my mood.  I never feel the need to subject myself to the spiritual test that can be horror films, so that virtually eliminates an entire genre.  I am not the spring chicken I once was, full of vim and vigor and ready to take on the world.  That is what I imagine is the emotion needed for action movies.  Occasionally, I will feel the whisper of a bygone version of myself, but those instances are becoming increasingly fleeting.  I like dramas, but they are usually longer than the time I allot myself for watching something.  This brings me back to romantic comedies as my go-to.  It does not help that I am single while looking at the happy couples on screen.  It is not jealousy I speak of, but a longing for a resolution.  What I have to remember is that God has a plan for me, and that I will be okay as a result of whatever happens so long as I have faith.  At this point, you are probably wondering whether I am waxing philosophical, as I am wont to do.  Yet, it is my privilege to tell you about a film that covers all these themes called Look Both Ways (2022).

A title like Look Both Ways is not just the advice you give children crossing a street.  It is literally how the film progresses.  There are two different stories going on about the same person, Natalie Bennett (Lili Reinhart).  When we meet her, she is a college senior, about to graduate, studying hard while majoring in animation, and she has a five-year plan.  She is in the library with a classmate and close friend, Gabe (Danny Ramirez), as they prepare for their finals.  He cannot concentrate, though, because his band has just signed to go on tour.  Instead of pouring over books, he suggests they celebrate.  His notion of celebrating involves them having sex.  Once he assures her that this will not ruin their friendship, they go through with the deed.  A few days later, with graduation festivities well under way, Natalie’s best friend, Cara (Aisha Dee), arrives at Natalie’s sorority.  Instead of enjoying the evening, Natalie is kneeling in front of the toilet, puking.  Cara comes prepared.  If this is the poor decision Natalie made of eating gas station sushi, Cara has saltine crackers.  If it is pregnancy, Cara has tests.  With that, Natalie urinates on the sticks and waits two minutes.  From this point forward, the film splits in two based on the results.  Because it bounces back and forth between the two, I am going to describe them each fully but separately.

Negative Test

In this case, Look Both Ways means each pregnancy test results in Natalie not expecting.  Hence, she can live it up during the graduation party.  In the morning, she and Cara depart for Los Angeles, the first part of Natalie’s plan.  While Cara settles into her position in advertising, Natalie searches for jobs in animation.  An assistant role with Lucy Galloway (Nia Long), Natalie’s industry idol, becomes available, and Natalie applies.  To enhance her prospects, Natalie attends a reception being held by Lucy, hoping to impress her prospective boss.  Instead of meeting Lucy, Natalie is chatted up by Jake (David Corenswet).  They enjoy each other’s company for the evening, and thus she is delightfully surprised when he works at the same studio as Lucy, and gives Natalie some advice for the interview.  As she continues in this position, they find they have a lot in common, such as his own affinity for five-year plans, though he is more into live-action film.  Hence, they begin dating, supportive of one another at every step.  A change happens, though, when he gets the opportunity to film a documentary, but it will take him across the continent to Nova Scotia, and he will be away for perhaps a year.  She tries to remain positive, but the distance and the fact that they had been about to get a place together, means they grow apart emotionally and eventually break up.  Further, she shows her portfolio to Lucy, who sees talent but tells her that the work is derivative before basically firing Natalie.  It is the push Natalie needs to find her voice with her art.  Soon, she has created an animated short that gets accepted at the South By Southwest (SXSW) film festival, bringing her accolades and recognition.  While there, she sees Gabe’s band playing at a bar.  As they catch up, he tells her that he is married with a child on the way.  Finally, Jake surprises her at the festival, and they walk off together at the end.

Positive Test

That is the end of Look Both Ways, but not the full story.  The other half involves the sequence of events that take place had Natalie’s pregnancy test been positive.  There is that moment of panic, not just because her and Gabe are suddenly responsible for a little life, but she sees it as interrupting her five-year plan.  He voices his support for any decision she makes regarding the child, and I hope you know what that is referencing.  Luckily, she makes the pro-life choice, though she is not sure he is right for her.  Neither do her parents, Rick (Luke Wilson) and Tina Bennett (Andrea Savage).  The Bennetts are not thrilled that their daughter has come home instead of pursuing her dreams in Los Angeles, and that she has brought a drummer.  Once all the anxiety and hurt are passed, they settle in to being parents, and Natalie’s life is consumed by her daughter, Rosie.  She watches through social media as Cara has the life she had hoped to lead, and does not want to see Gabe be prevented from his goals because of Rosie.  This is on Natalie’s mind when she encourages Gabe to find a place of his own.  He also suggests that she move in, but she tells him to date other people.  Shocked, he agrees to do so, eventually meeting and proposing to Miranda (Amanda Knapic).  That he has some stability gives her the opportunity to visit Cara and Los Angeles, but the trip is cut short when Rosie calls and says that she had been left all night with a babysitter that the little girl does not know.  Angry, Natalie immediately returns, but begins to understand that she has been allowing fear to run her life.  Thus, she begins drawing again, and has an animated short, inspired by Rosie, entered into SXSW.  During it, Natalie gets to see Gabe’s band play, and he informs her that things did not work out with Miranda.  Thus, Gabe and Natalie are free to finally be they couple they had clearly always wanted to be, and they walk off together at the end.

My rendering of the conclusion to the “positive test” section of Look Both Ways was purposeful.  They are intended to mirror each other, and they speak to one of the things I mentioned in the introduction as to how I keep moving forward: by relying on God and knowing that everything is going to be okay.  This is not about fate, although the movie suggests otherwise.  As a Catholic, I would call what Natalie does as fulfilling her vocation.  Of course, it is not something that fits into the neat categories Catholicism has for what we can do with our lives, and that is fine, too.  Life is a mysterious, and varied thing, but it is not something that we are “fated” to do.  God gave us free will, which means that, while He has a purpose for us, we can choose whether to cooperate with it.  He also blessed us with the tools we need to follow His path for us.  For Natalie, it is art, and it is clear that she is happiest when she is using those God-given talents.  At the same time, that can be scary.  Natalie’s story(ies) arc belies this fact.  She has everything she could possibly need, but she is afraid to use it in either plot.  With the negative, she is trying to tailor her work to what others expect of her, which is what Lucy points out when reviewing Natalie’s portfolio.  In the positive, Natalie centers everything on Rosie to the detriment of her own life.  Do not get me wrong, sacrificing for your child is a Godly thing to do.  At the same time, one has to guard against bitterness and remorse over not giving a shot to whatever it is you have always wanted to do because chances are it is something God has been nudging you towards for a while.  By ignoring such a prompting, you run the risk of taking out your negative feelings on your child, blaming the next generation for your failings.  Thus, take that step.  God is with you, and it is going to be okay.

“You’re okay,” is the last thing each version of Natalie says to herself in the mirror of that sorority bathroom at the end of Look Both Ways before joining Gabe and Jake.  I think that is a message that many people need to hear right now, myself included, for whatever reason.  Remember, you are going to be okay, particularly if you have faith.