Awake

No one knows what the future holds, and we all want to hope there is something positive waiting for us, such as improved medicines. Imagine if we could find new medical ways to cure people, that we never thought would be possible. I think we all can agree that we need to find other ways to cure people, especially the ones who really needs help. But what if the future does not hold anything positvive, but an endless path of darkness and suffering? We need to hold on to hope, or else we would all stop believing in the future. Speaking of the future, there are plenty of really good dystopian films, that tries to show what the future could look like. One of the films that especially comes to my mind is the 2006 dystopian sci fi action thriller known as Children Of Men. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón ( who directed the really well made sci fi thriller Gravity with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney ), Children Of Men takes place in the year of 2027, where 18 years of total human infertility, war and global depression push society to the point of collapse as humanity faces extinction. I remember the first time i saw Children Of Men, back in 2007. I bought the double DVD release from the UK, and this film turned out to be one of the better dystopian films of the 2000´s. Not only does this film have really strong characters, but this film also have a lot to say about the problems, how badly refugees are being treated. Even if this film takes place in the future, we all know that a lot of refugees are struggling to survive out there, right now as we speak. Children Of Men is a really well made sci fi thriller, that should be seen. I am pretty sure most of you remember actress Gina Rodriguez from TV series Jane The Virgin, she surprised me with the American remake of Miss Bala, and i heard this spring about her upcoming dystopian sci fi Netflix film Awake. Since i am a big fan of dystopian films, is Awake one of the better releases in this category, or is this a flat fall for Gina Rodriquez wonerful career?

Former U.S. Army medic and recovering addict Jill Adams ( Gina Rodriguez ), works as a security guard at a local college where she steals drugs from the research lab to sell. After her shift, she picks up her children, Noah ( Lucius Hoyos ) and Matilda ( Ariana Greenblatt ), from their grandmother, Doris ( Frances Fischer ). While driving their car loses power and is hit by another car into the lake. All three of them manage to get out of the car in the lake, but Matilda drowns. Thankfully, she is revived by a police officer, who tells them that all electricity is out, everywhere. Jill needs to get stitches on a wound on her head, so they walk to a hospital. There they find out that coma patients have suddenly woken up. But that´s not all, a psychiatrist, Dr. Murphy ( Jennifer Jason Leigh ) explains that people appear to be no longer able to fall asleep, except for Matilda. No one knows why she is the only one who is able to sleep, but they must find an answer, or people will start to fall apart, since no one can control themselves with having no sleep. 

I have seen quite a lot of dystopian films in the past, and i am always curious to see if any films in this category will bring something different. In the case of Awake, i do think this film have an interesting twist to the story. What if you could not fall asleep at all, how long can you go on as a normal human being? I actually think this part is one of the most interesting details about the plot of Awake, because we all know how important it is for us to get sleep. So the idea of the whole world being affected, with only a few people who seems to be able to sleep, is actually a great idea for a film like this. The dystopian image of this film is fine, but i would have to say that this part is actually not the strength of Awake. I do believe that there are details that could have been added to make this film feel more dystopian. Lead actress Gina Rodriguez as the character Jill, is a character i think a lot of people could relate to. A struggling former addict, and a mother who is trying to make the situation as good as possible for her kids, even if she is having problems in her personal life. Gina is one of those actors who knows how to portrait ordinary day women, who is not living in a dream world, and is just trying to survive. And to have a lead character like that in a film like this, actually makes this film more interesting. One of the characters i wish we could have seen more of, is actor Barry Pepper ( who have been in a number of 90´s classics such as Saving Private Ryan, Enemy Of The State and of course The Green Mile ) as Pastor. He is one of those characters that is actually a great match for a dystopian film like this, and i would have liked to see more of him, since he seems to have a fascinating personality. The scenes where we do get to see him, bring some interesting discussions in his church, between visitors and himself. Child actor Ariana Greenblatt as Matilda, deliver a performance that feels like a perfect match to the character. As a sci fi thriller, Awake does have a lot of important subjects that the film tries to bring into the plot. Some details fits well, while some details are perhaps left without any bigger explanation. Overall, i do enjoy Awake for trying a different approach in the dystopian genre. Director Mark Raso ( who directed the good Netflix film Kodachrone ) have definetely made a film that does bring up some interesting ideas, what the future could look like. Maybe not one of the best films in this category, but definetely worth checking out on Netflix, if you don´t know what to watch. One thing is for sure, i will be getting better sleep from now on, after watching Awake.

Rating: DDD