When all other attempts have failed, it’s time to try something different.
A new documentary-style television show is exploring what happens when two estranged people come face to face without speaking, to look each other in the eye for five minutes.
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Look Me In The Eye features Australians from a wide range of backgrounds who are genuinely looking to reconnect with someone in their life, including a former student of Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts.
Each of those seeking to reconnect has an unresolved conflict, or has drifted apart from a family member, friend or colleague.
For a long time Zach Gallagher, 29, wondered why his best friend Lauren stopped talking to him seven years ago and “went off the radar”.
He saw an advertisement calling for participants for the televised social experiment and was already familiar with other projects conducted around the power of eye contact.
“It had been playing in my mind how to contact [Lauren] but I didn’t know how to go about it so thought this couldn’t hurt,” Mr Gallagher said.
'It’s an exciting new experiment based on the proven counselling technique of non-verbal communication.
- Ray Martin
The morning of filming was very surreal he said, while he was full of nerves.
The words “what have I got myself into” kept running through his head.
Once Lauren walked into the room emotions ran even higher.
“When she came down and sat in front of me and we looked up, it was really confronting at first,” Mr Gallagher said.
“I definitely felt there was a lot of things being said without words actually being said.
“It was a beautiful moment but it was really intense.”
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Other participants during the series include a single mum who tries to win back her only son, a former child soldier confronts the man he says tortured him and a daughter who meets the dad who walked away from her family when she was 10.
The six-part series is full of emotion and tears, with scenarios most can relate to according to host Ray Martin.
“If it didn’t happen to you, it happened to someone you know,” he said.
“I think this is a really positive series in the sense that people will realise that we’re not alone, in our thoughts or our circumstances.”
Look Me In The Eye premiers September 6 on SBS.
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Desiree Savage
At the helm of Australia's premier publication for people aged over 55, covering hard hitting issues, travel, lifestyle and entertainment. Got a hot tip? Email me - edit@TheSenior.com.au
At the helm of Australia's premier publication for people aged over 55, covering hard hitting issues, travel, lifestyle and entertainment. Got a hot tip? Email me - edit@TheSenior.com.au
