Awake (2007)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Joby Harold

Writer:

Joby Harold (written by)

Release Date:

30 November 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Every year, one in 700 people wake up during surgery. When they planned her husband's murder, they never thought he'd be the one.

Plot:

The story focuses on a man who suffers "anesthetic awareness" and finds himself awake and aware, but paralyzed, during heart surgery. His mother must wrestle with her own demons as a drama unfolds around them, while trying to unfold the story hidden behind her son's young wife.

Plot Keywords:

Surgery | Heart Surgery | Medication | Nonlinear Timeline | Hospital

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Hayden Christensen	...	Clay Beresford
Jessica Alba	...	Sam Lockwood
Terrence Howard	...	Dr. Jack Harper
Lena Olin	...	Lilith Beresford
Christopher McDonald	...	Dr. Larry Lupin
Sam Robards	...	Clayton Beresford Sr.
Arliss Howard	...	Dr. Jonathan Neyer
Fisher Stevens	...	Dr. Puttnam
Georgina Chapman	...	Penny Carver
David Harbour	...	Dracula
Steven Hinkle	...	Young Clay (as Stephen Hinkle)
Denis O'Hare	...	Financial News Analyst
Charlie Hewson	...	Brian the Orderly
Court Young	...	Officer Doherty
Joseph Costa	...	Dr. Elbogen

MPAA:

Rated R for language, an intense disturbing situation, and brief drug use.

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Japanese

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #43173) | Singapore:NC-16 | Ireland:15A | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:15 | Australia:MA | Malaysia:U | Finland:K-13 | Argentina:16 | Taiwan:R-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Chile:14 | Italy:VM14 | Peru:14 | Netherlands:16 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

18 East 68th Street, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

GreeneStreet Films

Trivia:

Not screened in advance for critics.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: The new surgeon states they used Adriamycin to 'spike' the new heart. Adriamycin is a chemotherapeutic agent that is red in color. The syringe that Sam hands to Jack is filled with a clear and colorless liquid, however, the new surgeon was merely speculating what might have been used.

Quotes:

Sam Lockwood: But hey you know what? As soon as you get out of here, we're gonna start from scratch. Get a little house on the beach, do it right, ya know? Chase seagulls, what do you say? As soon as you get out, I'll be right here.
Clay Beresford: I think my new heart will love you as much as my old one.

Soundtrack:

No Kind of Life

Mother's Heart

The twenty-two year old Clay Beresford (Hayden Christensen) is a genius of finance secretly in love of his mother's secretary Sam Lockwood (Jessica Alba). Clay has a complex, expecting recognition from his mother Lilith Beresford (Lena Olin) that he is as capable as his father was, and he needs heart transplantation. When Clay finds a donor compatible with his rare blood, he requests his friend Dr. Jack Harper (Terrence Howard) to operate him under the protest of his mother that wants the famous Dr. Jonathan Neyer (Arliss Howard) responsible for the procedure. On the eve of his heart surgery, Clay marries Sam and during the surgery, he experiences an "anesthetic awareness" that leaves his conscious but paralyzed. Clay witnesses the dialogs in the room and discovers dark secrets about his surgery.

"Awake' has a simple but effective story about a wealthy young man that needs to be submitted to heart transplantation and experiences an anesthetic awareness discovering that things are not like he believes they are. The cast is excellent, leaded by the still gorgeous Lena Olin, Terrence Howard, Jessica Alba and Hayden Christensen. The plot point was a great surprise for me and I really like this original movie. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Awake: A Vida Por um Fio" ("Awake: Life in the Edge")