Life is full of little what-ifs — What if you had pancakes instead of cereal for breakfast? What if you made the bus? What if you remembered your keys? As multiverse theory holds, there are universes where all of these things happen — or none of them do. And in the new romantic drama Look Both Ways, we get a glimpse at how one of those fulcrum points can change a person’s life forever.
In Look Both Ways, Natalie (Lili Reinhart) lives out two separate lives: One in which she moves to Los Angeles and becomes an artist and another in which she gets pregnant and remains in her hometown of Austin, Texas. Both timelines have their ups and downs (and their handsome love interests, played by Hollywood’s David Corenswet and Top Gun: Maverick’s Danny Ramirez, respectively). They also share one crucial factor: No matter the circumstances surrounding her, Natalie has to balance her hopes and dreams with the curveballs life throws at her. There’s no universe where life is perfect; it’s up to Natalie to make the most of her choices. Luke Wilson and Andrea Savage co-star as Natalie’s parents, and Nia Long plays Lucy Galloway, Natalie’s mentor in her Los Angeles life.
Switching between what initially looks like two separate characters could have been a challenge for the film’s lead actor, but Reinhart found it easier than it might seem. “The circumstances in her life were changing, but she was still the same woman in both storylines,” the Riverdale star told Netflix. For Reinhart, that understanding was a grounding theme throughout the film. “I think the film is really beautiful in that it shows how your life can turn out a million different ways,” she says. “You have to be open to new paths that present themselves… there is not a right or wrong way to get somewhere. So trust that the universe has got your back.”
For director Wanuri Kahiu, the story of Look Both Ways is more personal than it may seem. “My Look Both Ways moment was when I was standing with a pregnancy test,” she told us. “In that moment, I realized that I had made the choice to have a child and [knew] that my life from that point on would split and be dramatically different than what I had imagined for myself.”
As for Reinhart, she feels confident that her own Look Both Ways scenario would be a bit simpler than Natalie’s. “I like to think that I would have always ended up in the film industry,” she said.
So to any multiverse travelers reading this: You heard it from the star herself. Look Both Ways is streaming on Netflix on Aug. 17, in every universe.
