Movie Review 2

Movie Review: Awakening

Plot

Dr. Seyer is a shy doctor describing himself as being not good with people. He mainly interacts with non-human element as it is his interest. However, working as a physician at a hospital needed him to be “a doctor’s doctor”. He needs to interact directly with patients and so, he discovers his caring inner self towards others. This story centers on his passion to treat his patients and his realization towards life. The character of Leonard Lowe, a catatonic patient at a hospital is one of the main focuses of this story. He was being carried away for decades after surviving the epidemic of encephalitis lethargicadisease. Being catatonic, many people surrounding the patients including the nurses and the doctors perceived them as being not aware of the world.

One day, Dr Seyer realizes that all patients have similar condition in which all of them are responsive towards the ball thrown to them. So, he concluded that the patients are taking the will of the ball to be responsive. Hence, motivates them to do the behavior. While many other doctors ridicule him, however he do not give up his idea due to the encouragement of Nurse Eleanor (a passionate nurse in the hospital).

After attending a lecture regarding L-Dopa, he become interested of its effects and thought that this could be apply to his patients too. His prediction is indeed true as Leonard who is first administered L-dopa is awaken from his own world. As a result from that success, L-dopa is also administered to other patient as well.

Leonard shows improvement in his behavior, he can walk and converse normally. He also become romantically interested with Paula. As Leonard desires freedom to be able to take a walk alone despite the hospital restriction, he begins to show a sign of agitation. His body tics becoming uncontrollable. The side effect of L-dopa finally revealed itself. Later, he is hardly moving and suffer from the pain. Leonard, in hope to help in the research of the disorder, is giving permission to be film as he suffers from the side effects.

Lastly, Dr Seyer give a speech in front of donors that L-dopa do awakens the patients. However, it does not last long. This phenomena has teach many people that people need to appreciate every little things in life.

Review

First of all, this is a really good movie. This can be consider as a masterpiece for the plot, the actors and the details that have been presented to the viewer. This film production has done justice to portray such a beautiful journey to find a cure not only for disorder but also for the soul. Honestly, this story is really inspiring. This film managed to grab my attention from the start until the end. it proved that this movie is really good. Personally, by looking at the setting of this movie, I was expecting a bored and slow storyline. However, it maintains the dynamic between the facts presented as well as other story that might be exaggerated to add dramatic feeling through it. Overall, I am satisfied by the characters’ interaction as well as how the story developed.

Even though this story focuses on Dr. Malcom Seyer, however I could not help by noticing how Leonard character remarkably brings an impact throughout the whole story especially in term of making the viewer understand how it feels like to be trapped in your own world.

Characters

Robert De Nero has successfully makes his character believable. I was so amazed by how detailed the symptoms of body spasm and catatonia is being portrayed. Personally, I think this kind of disorder is really difficult to be portrayed without exaggeration. Yet, I totally believe and immerse in Robert’s interpretation before and after he gets ‘awaken’. His character touches me in many way, one example is that, he appreciates little things that happens in his life so much to compensate the life that he loss for many years after being awaken. He also managed to make me understand how it feels to be detached from the world for many years.  

I also noticed how well the character transforms right in front of my eyes. From being catatonia to a normal person and back to being catatonia again. This might be impossible to be interpreted if one only practises the behaviour of a patient and do not immerse himself as being one. 

Besides, I love to see how Dr Seyer character grows from being uninterested in human interaction to being the most caring doctor in the hospital. His achievement and observation is remarkable especially at the part where he identified that the patient respond well at catching the ball thrown to them. With his determination, he manages to make a breakthrough both in the medical and care services domain. From the experience of patients being ‘awaken’, the nurses now realize that psychiatric patients do have emotions ad awareness but in their own world and that they need to be treated equally as the normal people.

Lessons

This movie teaches me a lot of lessons. Firstly, one cannot simply ignore the reality. However, by doing a reality check doesn’t mean you ignore your belief. As an example, both Dr. Seyer and Leonard acknowledge that the drug does not last for so long and there are side effects to it. Besides, other problem emerges such as feeling of being left out after being awaken may cause other emotional problem. Despite of this problem, Dr Seyer still believes that his patients can be cure through one important things that people often took for granted, that is human touch. The power of human touch may be so powerful that it can pass through the cage that the patients created to get to their world. For instance, Dr Seyer interacting with Leonard by Ouija board.

I also realized that love is such a mystic and incomprehensible medium for people to be connected with each other. Leonard’s mother is willing to take care of him until both of them getting old. I was touched by her sacrifice and devotion towards her son. I believe most of the parents will feel the same if they happened to encounter similar situation. 

This movie managed to make me think about my own life. Do I appreciate little things that happens in my life? Do I take people kindness for granted? What do you think?