Never Look Away

SXSW FILM FESTIVAL 2024 REVIEW! In her directorial debut, Never Look Away, Lucy Lawless tells the incredible story of CNN camerawoman Margaret Moth. Born in New Zealand, Moth and her siblings grew up in an abusive home. Her past quickly turned her into an outrageous goth, constantly living life by her own rules. We first meet up with Moth as an adult dating a high school graduate, mainly because he supplied good weed. Their life was careless and carefree.

The urge to evolve as a person took over and Moth became an international traveler until she ultimately grabbed a camera and became a camerawoman for CNN. Covering the Middle East in the 80s and 90s, Moth was known for putting her life in danger to get that perfect shot of the violence that surrounded her.

I could state over and over again that Moth was a kick-a*s woman, but the reality was she was simply kick-a*s. She was more than willing to put her life in danger. Never Look Away presents copious amounts of the subject’s work featuring explosions, gunfire, and death. Looking at this footage, you’d swear this was a big Hollywood war film, but it’s real and frightening.

There was no stopping Moth, and everyone she worked with knew that it was only a matter of time before something terrible happened. In 1993, Moth was shot by a sniper while covering the siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War. The devasting injury severely disfigured her face and would undoubtedly force her into retirement…but we are talking about Margaret Moth here.

Margaret Moth appears in Never Look Away by Lucy Lawless, an official selection of the World Documentary Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

“…known for putting her life in danger to get that perfect shot of the violence that surrounded her.”

Never Look Away is a fascinating documentary about a fascinating woman. Interestingly enough, we never see Moth throughout the documentary, as she is always behind the camera. We see her only in photographs and get a sense of who she was from her numerous lovers and co-workers, including CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.

The moment we see Moth speak is in her interviews after the sniper attack. Acutely aware of her appearance during interviews, Moth constantly mopped up saliva from her mouth. In addition, many of her lovers spoke about how they had to wrestle with Moth’s appearance. Many did not take it well and regret their actions…more inactions.

One unique element of Never Look Away is how Lawless presents the sniper attack and a few other dangerous moments in Moth’s career. The director built model sets and used model vehicles to reenact these moments as a cost-cutting measure. The sets were perfect to give a semi-cinematic feel to Moth’s harrowing adventures, and her use of camera movement within the models is simply artistic. The missile chemtrails are a thing of beauty.

Margaret Moth is an incredible person, and in Never Look Away, Lawless found a way to tell her story in a deeply affecting way. Moth’s legendary status is now on full display.

Never Look Away screened at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and the 2024 SXSW Film Festival.