Hannah's Pick: Awakenings

It is once again Wednesday, which once again means the movie for today is a pick from my sister in-law, Hannah.  As the majority of my day has been revolving around boxes, boxes, and garbage bags in preparation for an upcoming move, taking a few moments away to watch and review a film was much appreciated.  The movie for today is the 1990 best picture nominated Awakenings, starring Robin Williams and Robert De Niro.  For the longest while I was absolutely sure that I had seen it, but after the first few minutes I realized that it was all fresh and new to me.

The movie, which is based on a true story, follows Dr. Malcolm Sayer (Williams), a neurologist who seems most content when researching or working with worms than he is with the prospect of working one on one with clients.  We first meet him as he is applying for a job at a hospital for what he believed would be a research position until he discovers it would be dealing with patients who have chronic issues.  He soon starts work in ‘the garden,’ which it is called because essentially all they are able to do for the patients is feed and water them.

For being a personality that exudes non-stop movement and unending energy, Robin Williams presents himself as small, unsure, and removed socially.  His stature is drawn inwards, as his shoulder are slumped down and his arms stick to his body as he almost seems afraid to expand outwards to other people, a character who lacks confidence and lives with hesitation and uncertainty.  We even catch a glimpse of him at home in front of his piano, playing it with a timid rigidity.  It is this element that Williams brings to the character of Dr. Sayer that drives the first half of the movie as he works on ‘waking’ catatonic patients back into the world they have been separated from, as he himself chooses to separate himself from it.

The story is of Dr. Sayer working with certain patients that are all catatonic and share the illness Encephalitis lethargica, a sickness which puts people into a sleep-like state.  While working with them, he discovers clues about the illness and eventually attempts treating it similar to how Parkinson’s Disease was treated.  He first attempts this possible cure on Leonard Lowe (De Niro), who eventually wakes up from the sleep state and starts to try and live his life once again.

The progression of the movie seems clean, tidy, and by the numbers for the most part, and a lot of the main plot points feel like they could be easily predicted as the film moves along.  Some of the elements of the movie feel contrived and there are moments that are obvious attempts to pull on the heart strings.  While in other movies these sorts of maneuvers fall apart, the blatant scenes of emotional impact find their mark through the unwinding of this touching story that is capped off by great acting. 

It is the terrifically nuanced acting by De Niro and Williams that is able to take the moments that would possibly seem ham-fisted and overly sentimental and deliver them the power they are intended to have.  All of the predictability of the story can easily be forgotten as the powerful scenes are magnified by the delivery of the two leads, whose faces bare the emotions with incredible transparency.  This is not to say that only De Niro and Williams were the acting standouts, as most of the cast felt a great fit for their roles

When viewing this film, it is easy to gain a sense of the emotions involved with the people who dealt with this in real life, as well as gaining different perspectives.  While the script is strong with some very poetic moments, it all comes back to the performances of the actors who deliver this story with precision and clarity.  At times it is easy to forget that Robin Williams can have a calm demeanour, and it is also easy to look at some of De Niro’s choices for roles in the past ten years and forget how he got the acclaim that he has.  Awakenings is the perfect movie to view to remember that both actors are legends because they possess an otherworldly talent, and their roles in it are ones that can remain in your heart long after viewing.

Rating - 3.5 out of 4 stars