Bronx, 1 9 6 9. Dr. Malcolm Sayer half-heartedly accepts a new job as a physician in a hospital for people in a catatonic state. He realizes all these patients were diagnosed with encephalitis lethargica and assumes they still have consciousness, so he decides to try out an experimental new drug, L-Dopa, on one patient, Leonard. He gives it to him orally with orange juice, but with no results. He then gives it to him with milk, and Leonard awakens after 30 years of catatonic state. Leonard is amazed by the new world, and other patients also awaken after being treated with L-Dopa. However, Leonard starts having spasms, isn't allowed to walk outside without assistance, and again falls back to his catatonic state. The L-Dopa treatment isn't effective anymore. Sayer asks nurse Eleanor out for a drink, embracing his private life more.
1990 was a great year for Robert De Niro: not only did he star in the classic "GoodFellas", but he was also nominated for several awards for his portrait of a man awakening from a 30-year catatonic state in "Awakenings", a fictionalized account based on the memoirs of Dr. Oliver Sacks (here renamed into Malcolm Sayer). It's a pity the true story was heavily edited and dramatized in this film, but it still offers a few great moments and messages about people taking consciousness and health for granted, when in reality such terms are far more fragile than many think. Comedian Robin Williams is great in a serious edition as Dr. Sayer, but also gives a few refreshing humorous touches in the otherwise sad story: one sequence has a great commentary on the trials-and-errors of scientific research of the unknown ("It was an immense project. I was to extract 1 decagram of myelin from 4 tons of earth worms. I was on the project for 5 years. I was the only one who believed in it. Everyone else said it couldn't be done!" - "It can't!" - "I know that now. I proved it!"), while another one has Sayer insisting that patients in a catatonic state still have consciousness, another Doctor disputes it, but Sayer replies: "I'm sorry, if you were right, I would agree with you."
A certain problem is the somewhat unrealistic depiction of patients, as if the writer didn't consult medical advice, which at moments looks fake: for instance, it is a stretch that half a dozen patients in a catatonic state, sitting in a wheelchair in a circle, can somehow throw a ball and catch it between each other. Another is that patients are able to both walk (sometimes even run!) and talk immediately after waking up from a 20 or 30-year catatonic state, when they muscles would have been too weak after all this time in a wheelchair. The director Penny Marshall directs the film in a bland and routine way, though it is still crafted well enough, yet the screenplay clearly surpasses the direction due to several very emotional and inspired moments. For instance, Leonard is so fascinated being aware again that he finds everything amazing, so he just walks into the sea in his clothes. One unforgettable scene: Leonard says to Dr. Sayer that they have to "remind the world" about how good life is: "Read the newspaper. What does it say? All bad. It's all bad. People have forgotten what life is all about. They've forgotten what it is to be alive. They need to be reminded. They need to be reminded of what they have and what they can lose. What I feel is the joy of life, the gift of life, the freedom of life, the wonderment of life!" Despite falling into sentimentality and manipulative "handicap-sympathy" clichees, "Awakenings" is a powerful movie that stimulates the viewers to think, and since it is based on a true story, its events have authority and merit.
Grade:++
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