Reply To: Awakenings (Year 2)

[Anonymous]

I watched ‘Awakenings’ in the summer and bawled my eyes out like a little baby (I am moved by things easily). I watched it for the second time yesterday — not much changed, even though I knew how things were going to go and end. To me, the movie was marvelous. I loved how the director put together details about human brain, the way the drug worked, the side effects of it — all the ‘scientific’, neurobiological information — with just a touching story about human beings, people trapped inside ‘ghost-like’ bodies, their own tragedy of not being able to move and talk, their own problems and joyful experiences after being awoken. I can’t not talk about brilliant acting: I think it’s safe to say that Robert De Niro had his role of a lifetime with Leonard and Robin Williams did an amazing job playing dr Sayer. They both acted so naturally and effortlessly, it was like watching two best friends. My favourite scene in the whole film was the one when Leonard and Paula danced in the canteen. It made me smile through tears — even though they were happy and glad, they both knew deep down that it was their last dance, their last meeting, at least with both of them able to communicate. To me, the ultimate message of the movie was that even though there are diseases and illnesses which we can’t fully understand and treat properly, and which sometimes make us unable to function like other people do, we all still ARE people, we all still live and — in most cases — FEEL. And THAT is what we should remember — no life is better than another, but every life has its meaning, its value.