User reviews

The first part is excellent; touching, creepy, interesting and really very chilling at times. A mix of believable characters and relationships, very well acted. The stage is set perfectly, but unfortunately in the second half the violence somehow undoes the tension already established. It's as if they couldn't resist the temptation to overdo it. Less would have been much more. Rather than build on the psychological and atmospheric creepiness, they throw it away with a rather unimaginative, predictable story arc, where the very dramatic actions feel over the top, and lack impact. A shame, as this really could have been excellent. Nonetheless, worth a watch.

I caught this on Showtime with time to kill and my expectations were low, but wow, nice surprise. Love the atmospheric feel, and wow India did a great job! For some reason, i thought it may be some kind of Lifetime movie type deal, i was soooo wrong. It kept my attention the whole movie, and with India that's not hard to do. It's worth a watch.

'Look Away's' main attraction was its premise, maybe not exactly original, the ideas themselves are not new really but it did sound like the film was trying to do something fresh with them. Nonetheless though, it actually sounded very creepy and interesting. Some of 'Look Away' sounded like it could be relatable too. The cover and advertising were attention-grabbing and looked creepy, almost nightmarish, and also like Jason Isaacs quite a lot as an actor.

Seeing it, being encouraged by people saying it was for them better than expected and the above average rating as of now, 'Look Away' is not a great film and has flaws. Which actually happened to be the general consensus for the film hearing about it. Unfortunately these flaws are not large and a couple bring the film down rather significantly. As indicated though, there are quite a number of good things here in 'Look Away'. Would call it decent but uneven, which is actually not too bad a position to be in as a film and an acceptable distinction.

Beginning with 'Look Away's' good things, the acting is better than average. India Eisley carries the film intensely and poignantly and Isaacs is good support. So is Penelope Mitchell. Mira Sorvino is not the best used but she does a reasonable job too. The film shows a foreboding atmosphere and has a slickness to how it's shot. The use of sound is suitably ominous and not obvious or cheaply recorded.

Most of the story compels. There is a genuine creepiness, with the mirror image being appropriately sinister. There also is some subtle tension and the melancholic tone to some parts is poignantly done. Found myself relating to the protagonist, none of it is intelligence insulting (generally the viewer is treated with relative respect) while there is an effort to not be predictable. The direction is more than competent.

There are issues though. The script can be quite weak and sounded underwritten. Some of the pace is a bit too slow and like trudging through mud in the scenes where there is not as much as going on as others, a bit of trimming might have helped.

Am aware that Mark is not really a character one is meant to be like, one that one is meant to feel anger towards, but he never really grows in development and irritates throughout. Worst of all, as others have said, is the ending, which took ambiguity and unresolved questions to extremes and came over as confusing and unfinished.

Overall, an uneven film but with a good deal to commend it. 6/10 Bethany Cox

I loved this movie! The motley crew of characters were beautifully portrayed by the cast. From jason Isaacs self indulgent, perfectionism - to Mira Sorvino's disturbing deep-seated sadness and her hunger for her husbands attention - to John C. MacDonald's portrayal of the school bully, who deep inside knows he could never get the attentions of the beautiful Maria. Yes, he was incredibly believable, they all were.

And lets not forget (how could we she was SO good,)India Eisley. She was exceptional to say the least and she's a new find for me. Needless to say, I want to see more of her. Her portrayal of the demure, disturbed, invisible school girl to her confident, angry alter-ego twin, was flawless. Her expressions alone were noteworthy. I think and hope we're going to see more of this young actress in the near future.

Was this a perfect movie, no. There are flaws and I think the ending needed a bit more attention but I was in for the long haul within the first 10 minutes and I'm glad I stayed the course because it delivered. IMO it's worth a watch and definitely worth your time.

Either way, I really enjoyed it. Very atmospheric. Some people might not like the amount of questions the ending leaves unanswered, but I felt like it really benefited from not telling you anything for certain, just leaving you horrified and wondering.

Maria (India Eisley) is a timid high school senior. Her father Dan (Jason Isaacs) is a plastic surgeon who is obsessed with perfect looks. Her mother Amy (Mira Sorvino) is struggling with depression. At school, her only friend figure skater Lily is possessive of her boyfriend Sean. She gets bullied by schoolmate Mark and his friends. She starts having visions of her reflections acting differently and talking back to her. The reflection calls herself Airam.

It has the tone of a good slow moody horror without the scares. It is a bit too slow and Mark really needs to die to set it off. Mark's bullying is problematic when the only person coming to her rescue is Sean. The skating party comes off really weird when everybody is laughing at her. There is one creepy aspect to this movie. While India is 25 and the character is 18, India looks really young and the sexual erotic aspect gets voyeuristic. It would be less creepy if she's playing a college student. She's a quiet actress and seems limited in range. She is able to play two separate personalities and that works better than expected.

Great cast, great premise but the director needs to reestablish the value of details. The atmosphere was effectively set, the cast did a fantastic job (especially India Eisley) but the director just seemed to neglect the details which impact the overall story. I understand that the beauty of films is it is not restricted to reality but effectively creating a reality you want your audience to be drawn into, is all in the details. Such a wasted project. I saw another review entitled All atmosphere, no substance, perfectly sums it up.

Look Away: The Evil Twin is a much (ab)used trope in Horror but this film puts some life back into the genre. Maria (India Elsley) is an introverted teen, bullied at school, her demanding father (Jason Isaacs) doesn't really listen to her, her mother suffers from depression due to Isaac's philandering. She notices that her reflection differs from her and is at first freaked out but gradually starts to converse with her mirror image, Airam. Maria's life gets even worse, the bullying intensifies and she comes into conflict with her one friend. Airam persuades Maria to let her "come through" the mirror" and take the driving seat. This Dark Maria causes mayhem.

It is never clear as to whether Maria is suffering from a disorder or whether the consciousness of a lost twin lives on within her. Iaram is truly a mirror image, turning the tables on bullies and resorting to savage violence. No one is safe once she has set her aims on a desired object. The real horror in this film is the bullying which is ignored/overlooked by adults and tolerated by school students. Nasty though Airam's actions are, they take place in a context. A certain eerie gothic quality permeates the film. Not a classic but Director/Writer Assaf Bernstein delivers an intriguing Horror/Thriller. 7.5/10. On Netflix.

This was a very disturbing movie on so many levels. It's worth a watch but the ending really misses the mark.

Actors were great but the writing and directing, not so much. A lot of scenes felt over the top, forced, and unbelievable. Like "That would never really happen that way" and made me cringe and shake my head. If the writing and directing had been a little more creative and realistic, it could have been a great movie.

A interesting look into the mind of a young woman who feels unloved and neglected by everyone around her and how far the mind of such a damaged person could go. This movie was really entertaining to watch and has some interesting issues. I would have rated it higher but towards the end it seemed like they speeded it up a little to wrap it all up quick but nonetheless a fun movie to watch if you like your physiological thrillers. Great soundtrack in the movie as well. 7/10 for me, defenitely worth watching.

I normally don't like teen horror films but I did not dislike this one. I thought it was well done. India Eisley was very convincing as a very shy high school teen. The plot lacks originality and the film wasted Mira Sorvino acting talent. Jason Isaacs was good. Just didn't like the anti-male vibe to this film. It wasn't necessary. The story has every male at fault for something or another.

In what universe does the skinny girl with model looks get picked on at school? I guess in this one. But wait, turns out the blonde kendoll popular guy just had the hots for her all along and her only friend who's not-really-her-friend just kept her close to look superior alongside her, despite feeling threatened by her.

Now, I try to avoid teen movies in general, but I honestly thought this mirror-evil-twin tale would be ...interesting? It wasn't.

This could have been so much better, but it was considerably underdeveloped, beginning with a very dull first half, and just when things were about to pick up, the 'murderous spree' was an unimaginative dud.

However, India Eisley played the sad and mousy part well enough, but she really shined as the more confident and wicked version of herself. I expect she'll be seen a lot more of from here on. And Mira Sorvino was great. Shame she doesn't get meatier roles to showcase her skills in full. As for Jason Isaacs, he seems to be stuck in the same character as the doctor-scientist in Cure for Wellness and the OA series. Not necessarily a bad thing.

Good solid 6.5 for this film. Gave it a 7 as the lead actress is superb. She plays her two characters perfectly going from soft and lacking in any confidence to super angry and on a mission... What a mission it is too. But by the end of the film it's explained to you why she's soft and lacking on the outside but angry and on a mission on the inside and it's rather sad. A film that didn't stand out to me to be one to watch that actually turned out to be pretty good.

Novice (only his 2nd full length film) director, writer and producer Assaf Bernstein did a fantastic job with this film. Outstanding directing and cinematography, perfect score, and great acting by all cast especially India Eisley in her double role. Sure this story has been done before in many different ways, but I still enjoyed the constant thrill and tension throughout - even during the predictable scenes. The set locations (home and school) were great as was the winter scenery. I felt the length was too long for the pacing, and should have been edited down from 103 mins to 80-90 mins. Otherwise a great low budget production by Assaf Bernstein. A well deserved 8/10 from me.

I liked everything about it apart from the ending. Original story, all acting perfectly natural, screenplay, music, directing, camera,.......loved it. The end disappointed me, but that's me.

This is truly one of the creepiest movies i've ever seen. and not because it's a horror or a thriller or creepy by plot: creepy because it's like the writer of this movie wanted to see this young girl touch herself, be naked, and have sexual situations as often as possible. really? sexual tension with her own father? not one of the nudity, sex, or sexual tension scenes did a single thing to drive this story forward. not one.

i'm not a prude, i don't mind nudity as a form of driving plot forward. sex is apart of life and therefore movies. but seeing this young girls boobs "just because" had a weird tone to it. seriously... weinstein creepy vibes if you ask me.

I went into this knowing absolutely nothing, and I suggest you do the same. The movie is a little slow, but somehow the pacing works as it builds suspense. The acting is surprisingly superb, I never felt like anyone was phoning it in. The main actress in particular, India, really nails the dual roles, and although she was around 25 at time of filming she still sells the innocent, shy teenager.

For a low budget film, the effects are good and scenes are shot well, making the most of the winter setting. There is minimal cgi (if any?) which I think only helps sell the movie. The plot too is nothing fancy yet still keeps you engaged to figure out the motive behind everything.

My only gripe as others point out is that the movie ramps up the gore during the final 20 minutes or so as if to sell the horror element. By no means is this a bloody slasher or anything with limbs flying, the gore is simple compared to most films these days. It still tho seemed a little over kill. In particular it seems people in this movie have bones made out of papier-mâché, especially one scene in particular (I won't spoil which one but when you watch the movie you'll realize it when it happens).

Still for a low budget movie with minimal cast and effects, I was very much blown away and glad I watched this.