Review: Awake (2007)

Review Written By: Gaius Bolling

Release Date: November 30th, 2007

So when you think of horror you probably think about all the usual suspects. There's the ghost that is haunting an old decrepit house or a man in a mask stalking his would be victims. There's everything from demonic possession to vampires that want to sink their teeth into someone's neck.

Many of those things can be quite scary but it's the potential real life situations that are even more frightening. The film "Awake" deals with an issues I heard about passing but learned more about when the movie was released. "Awake" deals with concept of Anesthesia awareness, which occurs during general anesthesia, on the operating table when the patient has not had enough general anesthetic to prevent consciousness or waking up during surgery. The patient may still feel pain or pressure during surgery and even hear conversations going on around them. They usually can not express that they are actually "awake" because they have been given a muscle relaxant. 

I hate the idea of being put under and it's something that I've only experienced once. Had I known about this I probably would've freaked out before being given anesthesia. "Awake" effectively plays on this fear and gives a clear representation of how one may experience this phenomenon. There is more to the plot that goes beyond this concept (most of which is completely contrived) but the film is so technically well made and handles the subject matter so well, that I just didn't care when things started to go down a familiar territory.

The twenty-two year old Clay Beresford (Hayden Christensen) is a genius of finance secretly in love with 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. These hopes of becoming more than his dad are derailed when he discovers he needs a heart transplant. When Clay finds a donor compatible with his rare blood, he requests his friend Dr. Jack Harper (Terrence Howard) operate on 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 him conscious but paralyzed. Clay witnesses the dialogs in the room and discovers dark secrets about his surgery.

I'd like to point out that I think this film was unfairly slammed by critics when it was released. I really think the filmmakers did what they could with the material and made as good a film as they possibly could. This is one of those "high concept" films that basically is one of this one sentence pitch ideas that sound really good and simply need  a story to go around it. Even if you focus on the more contrived elements of the plot, there are other aspects that make the film excel. The relationships between the characters are intriguing and leave you wanting more. Sam and Clay are developed well enough in the beginning, that you really do care about the outcome of their relationship as the film progresses. Also of interest is the relationship between Clay and is mother, which appears to make her over-bearing in the beginning but as the film goes on, you discover why she acts the way she does. There's a method to everyone's motivations and they drive the film.

There is no denying that the best part of the film is how it handles Clay's anesthesia awareness. Director Joby Harold does a good job os making many of these scenes highly suspenseful and uncomfortable. He slowly builds to the realization that Clay can feel and hear everything that is happening to him and by the time the blade begins to cut into his chest, you are there completely with him and in the moment. A lot of this is done through effective voice overs by Clay so that we are aware of everything he's feeling but knowing that would get old, the director even allows Clay to roam around the hospital in a sort of outer body state that allows him to further solve the mystery behind what's really going on with his surgery. This all could've been cheesy and overdone but it's handled just right.

The film is also wonderful to look at. There is this sort of sedated feel that goes on throughout the entire film that is used to great use. Most of the visual flair comes through Clay's outer body moments and the use of flashbacks to show where things might've gone wrong during Clay's operation. It's al beautifully shot and really puts you in the middle of all the action and the tension.

I'm trying to use my words carefully about what is going on while Clay is on the operating table because there is a big reveal in the film and while the reveal is handled pretty well, the motivations behind it a bit cliched. This is where the film loses some points. Once you get the motive in motion the film loses some of the originality it had built up beforehand. How you feel about this will determine how you feel about the film. I liked everything that came before it so much that i disregarded the film went down a familiar path to conclude the story. I figured out a few pieces before they were all put together but some parts of the reveal did shock me a bit. In the end, the twist works but the explanation behind it is flawed.

The acting is pretty top notch across the board. Hayden Christensen has gotten some flack for his work in the "Star Wars" prequels but his work outside of that has been quite top notch (see "Life as a House" or Shattered Glass" as examples of his good performances). He can add this film to his resume of stellar work. He manages to make Clay likable and sympathetic very early on. This is very important considering we need to be in this man's shoes as he experiences this intense situation. He has effective chemistry with the two women in his life: Sam and his mother and he manages to make the audience understand why these women mean so much to him.  Jessica Alba, who isn't always known for stellar work, is adequate in her role as Sam. In essence she has the most difficult role in the film because she has to play a ton of different colors throughout the course of the film. All those who question her talent, even agree that she is pleasantly sweet and likable in her films, and this one is no exception. In order for the relationship between Clay and Sam to work we have to understand why he falls for her and she makes it easy to discover why. I will say this role is very different from some of the usual stuff she has played and it was nice to see her stretch a bit as an actress. Lena Olin is top notch as Clay's mother and in my eyes she's the heart of the film. She shows why mothers need to make the hard decisions sometimes and her love for her son is effectively portrayed. Terrence Howard is sort of the weak link here but he's still decent in the role. I think Howard is a better performer when he can really emote and be dramatic but he comes off a bit boring playing low key roles. It's not a bad performance, just not great.

"Awake" is one of those films you really need to experience for yourself. I almost avoided it because of the bad reviews it got but I'm really glad I decided to give it a chance. It's an effectively made thriller and it handles the subject matter as well as could be expected. Plus, it's really nice to see a truly adult thriller that isn't bogged down by trying to cater to the teen market. You would think it would considering it has 2 lead actors that make girls and guys in their respective demographic swoon, but the film never loses its integrity. It maintains a sense of respect for the subject that i was utterly impressed with. Definitely Recommended

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