What if you fall asleep one night and find yourself in a stupor state the next morning? Awakenings (1990) is a film depicting the true story about a doctor who successfully treated his catatonic patients for a short time, bringing them brief period of "awakening" until they eventually develop tolerance for the drug and return to their stupor state.
This movie does not portray Leonard (the main character) as an adult catatonic patient directly. Instead, it introduces Leonard as a child, revealing his past history of being socially excluded due to his disorder. This portrayal of Leonard's early childhood syndromes allows the audience to empathize with him, eliciting imaginations about the difficulties that Leonard might have faced as a child, as a teenager and as an adult.
Following that, the film highlights that changes in life are not necessarily good, even in the case of the recovery of
catatonic patients. Leonard's striving for independence is unacceptable
to his mother (Mrs. Lowe) even though it is common for a man at
Leonard's age to live independently without parental support. This is
because the many years of Leonard's motor dysfunctions have not only made
Leonard dependent on his mother but at the same time have made her
dependent
on him as taking care of him has been an important part of her life. As a
result, she attributes the faults to Paula, whom Leonard has a crush
on. In the case of Lucy (another patient), denial is shown after
recovery. She pretends to be in her 20s because it is unacceptable for
her that she has missed many years of her life. This illustrates the
power of perception: People can see a situation good (like some
healthcare staffs and some other patients who rejoice over the recovery) while others may view the
same situation badly.
Transformation of life is the major concept of this movie. Throughout the movie, we follow Leonard's recovery and the regression of his recovery closely. Although the film does not close with a "happily ever after" ending, Leonard's transformations have in return transformed others. Leonard's realization of people not appreciating their lives has influenced Dr. Sayer (Leonard's doctor) to step out of his comfort zone and ask Eleanor (a nurse) out for a coffee. This transformation of an initially introverted plant-lover who avoids socialization gives an upbeat closure to the film. The transformations do not stop in the movie, as this film continues in inspiring people to live life to its fullest. I am especially struck by a quote from Mrs. Lowe: "When my son was born healthy, I never asked why. Why was I so lucky? What did I do to deserve this perfect child, this perfect life?" This reminds me how unappreciative we are of our lives.
Awakenings (1990)'s emphasis on the appreciation of life builds its strengths from the empathy induced at the beginning,
allowing us to resonate with the character's thoughts. The elements of perception prompt us to further think about our lives. Lastly, the fact that the ending reflects reality adds to the power of the film in "waking up" people, to appreciate every second of our lives, which makes this movie life-affirming.
