You’ll be Okay, According to Netflix’s ‘Look Both Ways’
Although the movie presents a light-hearted message that everything will work out, it is a bit unrealistic to believe that life will be optimistic for everyone regardless of their choices and the consequences.
(L to R: Aisha Dee as Cara, Lili Reinhart as Natalie. Cr. Felicia Graham/Netflix © 2022)
Riverdale’s Lili Reinhart stars as the main character, Natalie, in the highly-anticipated Netflix original, “Look Both Ways.”
Charting as #1 in Netflix’s top 10 movies in the U.S., “Look Both Ways” centers on Natalie, a college graduate whose life splits into two futures after taking a pregnancy test. In one reality, she becomes pregnant by her friend turned one-night stand, Gabe (Danny Ramirez), and navigates motherhood in her hometown. In the other, she isn’t and pursues her animation dream in Los Angeles, living with her best friend Cara (Aisha Dee).
Natalie’s decision to become a mother leads her to move back in with her parents as she raises her daughter with Gabe. Her relationship with Gabe changes after rejecting him, but she chooses to be with him later in the movie. Career-wise, she pauses her dream in animation – unless you count drawing on paper cups at her hometown coffee shop job. However, later in the movie, she takes a leap of faith and submits “Night Owl,” a comic she’s worked on, to the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival, which gets accepted for presentation.
She leads an entirely different life in L.A. She moves in with Cara, who encourages her to apply for an assistant job with her idol. After landing the role, she presents her work to her boss, who isn’t interested and gives her unexpected feedback. She then becomes unemployed. She also begins a relationship with Jake (David Corenswet), then ends it. It starts again when they make amends. In this reality, she also submits an animated short titled “Indigo” to SXSW, which gets accepted.
In both scenarios, Natalie deals with the good and bad that come with her choices. She understands that animation is her calling and takes the risk to pursue it. Her desire to no longer settle on what she wants works out for her.
The movie ends with both versions of Natalie returning to the sorority house that decided her fate. Side by side, they look in the mirror and reassure themselves that they’re okay. There’s no clarity on whether any of the events happened, but we know that she’s okay, and that should be enough.
Although the movie presents a light-hearted message that everything will work out, it is a bit unrealistic to believe that life will be optimistic for everyone regardless of their choices and the consequences. Nevertheless, it’s interesting to see Natalie and what her life becomes in this drama romance.