NEVER LOOK AWAY: A Review
by Karen Pecota

Lucy Lawless | New Zealand | 2024

New Zealand’s acclaimed actress and activist, Lucy Lawless makes her directorial debut with NEVER LOOK AWAY featuring the infamous war zone camerawoman, Margaret Moth. A New Zealander, known for her dedication to documenting the impact of war on civilians, she refused to look away from such tragic drama. Moth forever exclaimed, “It has to be filmed. It has to be told. The story has to be told.”

Moth led a hedonistic lifestyle consumed with extreme and sensational experiences—thrill seeking sports like skydiving, recreational drugs, and multiple lovers. She was very attractive and took her beauty seriously. According to family members who shared bits and pieces of their upbringing, Moth had endured childhood trauma she never revealed. Lawless believes that these early experiences encouraged Moth to be in control of her destiny, giving her license to be courageous and fearless, in both work and play.

Lawless notes, “She’s just a Kiwi woman who goes her own way, she’s a bit of a lone wolf. She went somewhere that angels definitely dare to tread. Going off to war—what was it that made her like that? The more I found out about her the more baffled I was.” Adding, “She grew up to seek out the most dangerous situations she could find. Unafraid to stare death in the face and to never look away. Moth was a fearless war zone camera professional in a male-dominated field.”

Some of the biggest names in news journalism—Christiane Amanpour, Stefano Korsonis (who was in the van with Moth when she was shot), Peter Humi, and Tom Johnson, were Moth’s former colleagues. They recall that Moth’s intense mission was to use her camera to show the world the realities of war; thus, wanting always to be on the frontline. A position that nearly cost Moth her life.

Lawless eloquently reenacts the situation when Moth was shot in the head while traveling in a news van, by using scale diorama of the so-called “Sniper Alley” in Sarajevo. Lawless shares, “Moth lost the lower half of her face, which had to be reconstructed across more than a dozen surgeries.” Adding, “She refused to let her drastic injuries hold her back and returned to Sarajevo, becoming even more committed to showing the impact of war.” Moth continued to cover other wars for CNN—some of the most violent conflicts the world has witnessed.

Lawless’s NEVER LOOK AWAY combines testimonials, Moth’s own archival film footage (personal and war zone), and amazing dioramas, in order to showcase the perils Moth chose to put herself in—both messy and inspirational—and give the answer to why.