Week 2: Awakenings
Awakening is a movie that portrays the changes and development of a person in a critical period. The story begins when a neurologist (Dr. Sayer) started his new job at a hospital for the severely ill. These were the people that many said 'had no hope of recovering'. Dr. Sayer himself is a person who does not spend much time with people, he is an extreme introvert, but is passionate in his line of work. Nevertheless, despite being an introvert, he is the most caring and hopeful out of all the doctor at the institute.
Driven by his passion to achieve greatness and curiosity, Dr. Sayer wanted to make a change in the institute. He founded a pattern of behavior in a group of catatonic patients and believed that it could mean something more. His discovery though was a success, in my opinion, he was driven by his own goals to prove to the other doctors that he could achieve something (or his desire to be great) rather than caring for the patients instead. This is shown when he tried to give huge dosages his first patient, Leonard.
Although Leonard was his first 'lab rat' for this project that became successful, Dr. Sayer soon becomes attached to him. As an extreme introvert, Dr. Sayer rarely had human interaction except for the purposes of work. It is portrayed in scenes such as when one of the nurses asked him out for a coffee, he immediately declined. However, from being his experimental work, he soon shared and talk to Leonard and spent time with him probably longer than anyone in this movie. Thus, unconsciously, they became best friends.
This movie also shows hope. Hope that many of us are looking for- unexpected and magical. Just like given the circumstances we have a crush on a person who is way above our league, we often pray to God for it to happen, even we are aware that it is rather impossible. In this movie, the possibility of a catatonic person to be well was on the lesser side. However, Dr. Sayer had hope, and he was determined to help these people (or was he only a selfish man, who is determined to prove them wrong?).
Upon experiments and research, he managed to figure out what many overlooked. Although some may question why didn't the other doctors do the same, it could possibly be that they were once like Dr. Sayer, a man with hope, but they had given up and learned that some things are just not meant to be. However, Dr. Sayer, being the 'new' man in this area, still has that hope.
With the L-dopa drug, Dr. Sayer thought he had solved it all. This what the climax of the movie where everything seemed to go perfectly fine. Everyone won in this situation. However such is life, the drug failed over time, allowing viewers to be able to relate the emotions and situations faced by the scene of the movie. I am certain that many of us had lived long enough to experience 'fake hope' and how hurtful it is, thus this allows viewers to connect with the movie in a deeper level (noting the fact that they have connected in the previous scene of the awakening).
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| *My reaction when Leonard wasn't given the opportunity to walk outside and was dragged to the ground and started showing symptoms again* |
This movie is a life-changing movie, it not only portrays scenes that people could relate to. But it also shows the development of a character, which made viewers emotionally connected and care to the characters, such as Leonard who only wants to enjoy his life as a child and a man in love, but couldn't and end up being sick again. It makes people care, open up to the viewer's own world, allowing them to relate.
All in all, just like all others great movies, this movie gave insight into our own lives (perhaps a different situation), but the emotional aspect could be related. Be it a relationship, or trying to graduate from college, most people could relate to this movie because everyone would have that 'critical period' in life where they experience many things and some even magical, like the one in this movie. It gives viewers a flashback in their own lives and what went into it, hence making viewers feel special and the strength to move on or even hope.
Not only that, the moral of the story was so simple, 'be grateful for the simple things in life', as Leonard had mentioned, where many people nowadays are focusing too much on the negativity instead of the positivity. It's the simple things in life that makes life meaningful and I have to agree that this definitely was a catchy and yet effective line that could summarize the whole idea and takeaway lesson of this movie. As much as it is about the patients and hope, it is also about the lessons that Dr. Sayer and his co-workers learned from this experience.
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