timid girl

Look Away takes a very bold stand where appearances are concerned. But also about self-confidence.

In the end, the only argument it makes is that one cannot possess both attributes.

We are introduced to a timid girl, Maria whose father is a plastic surgeon. Her mother is shown to have no say of her own.

She is left to watch her husband ridicule his daughter about not being careful with her looks.

Maria has a friend Lily who hardly seems concerned about her. She's more interested in publicly making out with her boyfriend Sean who Maria secretly has a crush on.

Then there's the bully who keeps picking on Maria to the point that he publicly drags her around while the others, including Lily, do nothing.

Sick of being made to feel worthless by the people around her, one night, she finds her reflection behaving differently.

Just for a second, you wonder if perhaps Maria has lost her mind.

But then you see the reflection behaving a little off even when Maria isn't watching and know something weird is going to happen.

And it does.

The reflection is Maria's twin who we are made to assume died during birth.

She's her sister's caretaker and immediately offers to switch places with her so she can solve Maria's problems. Hesitant at first, Maria eventually gives in after being ridiculed at prom.

Maria's sister now takes charge of her and intimidates everyone. Literally, everyone is scared of her the minute she walks into school with eyeliner. One by one, those who picked on Maria are made to pay... With their life.

On the other side, Maria begins to regret her decision but with such a strong inferiority complex, does nothing but watch her life being torn apart.

First, it is her best friend Lily, then her crush Sean, and eventually it is her father.

Apparently, Maria's twin had hidden a secret from her. She had been born deformed and her father had let her die because in his words: what is the point?

The wife screams "the point of what?"

But the answer is something we must guess after watching the father's cringe-worthy character.

He is so obsessed with looks that he rather his daughter die than grow up. He is a cosmetic surgeon; appearances are everything to him.

While you feel sorry for the other victims, you feel conflicted after the father is killed with a scalpel.

Maria's twin seeks her out in the mirror for approval. But Maria has gone, perhaps ashamed of her decision to seek revenge.

The twin is shown to get into bed with her mother and in between flashes, we see both sisters hugging her.

Look Away: thoughts about the movie

The ending is left to our own deductions. Maybe the twin reforms now that she too feels guilt after the countless murders. She did want to help her sister but realized she just ended up ruining her life.

What happened to Maria? Does she come out of the mirror? What happens on the other side?

No one knows and we are left unsatisfied.

Look Away is an engaging tale and will have you argue with your own morality. Was the twin right in seeking vengeance? Was there another way to protect her sister?

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