Awakenings (Year 1 Thur.)
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„Awakenings” is one of those movies which make you think about its plot today and tomorrow and the next day. I usually do not watch or read melancholy movies and books, but this is real masterpiece. It’s gripping story not only about disease, but also friendship, love, commitment and determination. I’d definitely recommend this movie for everyone who has leisure time and wants a moment of reflection. This movie makes me want to read Olivier Sack’s book and I’ll probably do that in the foreseeable future.
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In my opinion this poem is not only about panther behind bars. It can be understand as a metaphor for Leonard Lowe disability.
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In the movie we get to know that Leonard used to read a lot and it was very moving when he showed dr Sayer this poem when he had asked him to spell his name. It was sad to me that he could not do things he really likes.
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I have never understood poems, but I think it’s comparsion between an imprisoned panther and a person, who is imprisoned in hospital or in his own body. It’s a very touching film, I cried when Leonard “came back to the world”. The saddest thing is that he couldn’t enjoy the life too long. But he got a chance to fall in love, spend some time with his mother and befriend his doctor and it’s beautiful.
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I totally agree with you, Iga. The relationship which he has made for this couple days are really beautiful and strong. I believe he appreciated that he had chance to meet them despite he can’t talk to them any more.
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I feel sorry about the girl, she lost the man who she fell in love. He can’t hug her anymore
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Yes, this feeling must be horrible.
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I really enjoyed this movie. It was very moving and interesting. First of all, the cast was very good and everyone fits perfectly for their roles. Moreover, I liked that this movie shows that people with disabilities are normal people, who needs some help and support. They have feelings and emotions like everyone of us.
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This movie was very moving. Patients who had been in catatonia for many years could finally come back to life thanks to L-dope. Seeing Leonard’s reaction when he saw his mother was priceless. He had so many hopes and dreams, he appreciated the smallest things. Even when the side effects appeared, he still believed that Dr. Sawyer would find a medicine that would help all the patients. I think Rilke’s poem refers to patients who are prisoners of their bodies, illness and the hospital, just like the panther behind bars.
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I agree with you, Weronika. The scene of Leonard meeting his mother after his “awakening” was incredibly touching for me too. I also found the scene when Leonard was dancing with Paula very moving.
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Yes, me too. It was probably his first dance and he could feel normal despite his illness.
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I think that “behind those thousand bars no world” indicates that there is no outside when it comes to people with parkinson’s, they only live trapped in their own bodies, except the episodes of awakenings. Moreover, it could mean that parkies are prisoners of their bodies. My impression was generally positive, I was really impressed by dr Sayer, because sacrificed his personal life in order to help other people and he had hope that he could have helped people with parkinson’s as distinct from other physicians in the movie.
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I was also really impressed by dr. Malcolm Sayer. I hope that one day I’ll meet someone like him. He didn’t give up despite any adversities and he was still believing in his competence. He was a real hero with beautiful soul and vast knowledge.
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Yes, these people have been in hospital for a long time, but no one tried to cure them. Dr. Sawyer found a way to communicate with Leonard, discovered that patients have reflexes and that they are aware.
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No, I’m sorry, I made a mistake, because they were using L-dopa in the movie to treat patients such as in the book “Brain Storms”. They experienced encephalitis lethargica.
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I really enjoyed the movie. It was interesting and touching on so many levels. Robin Williams has stunningly portrayed Oliver Sacks. Robert DeNiro’s acting was also amazing. Every aspect of this film – the beautiful, true story, the characters, the plot, scenography and music were spot on and just mesmerising.
I think Rilke’s poem “The Panther” illustrates patients’ trapped spirit. Their bodies are like a prison to their soul, will and invisible, but key to being human emotions, feelings and character traits. -
This movie touched me, and i really enjoyed it. It made me thinking about it for whole day. I was really moved when Leonard could for a while spend time outside, meet the love of his life, but he couldn’t be like that for too long. I cried when he danced with his girl for the last time.
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I agree, the scene when they danced was really beautiful and moving. It showed real love and care.
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I remember other moving scene when despite good condition lots of patients with encephalitis lethargica couldn’t left hospital and live like an average person. Because of that, I really esteem my freedom, especially in the current situation.
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I definitly agree with both of you
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Yes, I agree with you! Very sad film
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Yes i agree, this film is very touching and causes tears. and also gives you a chance to reflect on your life
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I agree with you! The dancing scene was so beautiful! The scene, when he was talking to the doctors, because he wanted to go for a walk all by himeself when he wanted, was so sad, because it was showing that he only wanted to live a normal life.
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When it comes to the poem, I think that this is a metaphore of being imprisoned by many factors (different for everyone, it depends on people’s life and experiences).But, in my opinion everyone can understand it in different ways. According to me it establishes to Leonard being imprisoned by his disability.
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I really liked the movie – it was very stirring and made me think about this more in the next days. In my opinion it is not only showing people with the disease but also frienship, love and how this relations affects people. I think that the poem refers to patients that are stuck in their bodies and they can’t do nothing about this (they are prisoners just like the panther behind bars)
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I agree with you. It’s beautiful how huge meaning in this movie had friendship and love. It showed not only how those people changed when they can walk, talk, dance, and enjoy a pretty normal life but also how those relationships impact on them.
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This movie has made a huge impression on me. I saw this film once and it was a great idea to refresh it. The plot is not only about determination and willingless to help chronic patients but also about humanity, human spirit, friendship, love and transience and temporal matters.
For me it’s a real masterpiece with great casts.-
You are totally right, I don’t know why this film isn’t in TOP 10 on filmweb
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Really? I didn’t hear about this film before! But I’m glad I saw it. I can help me to see beauty of life every day
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And this poem, i think it is a metaphor of life not only Leonard but also other people having this disease
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Yes, I think any person with the same disease can relate to it. That’s good, because at least they don’t have to fight alone.
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Adam, I understood it that way too. I love reading poetry and I think this poem captures the atmosphere and story contained in the film.
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I also love reading poetry Marta, i think using poetry in this film gives another level of undrestanding others and also poetry is a reflection of reality.
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I agree with you. I also think it’s a metaphor of people with diseases
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I agree with you, it shows us so many different perspectives. That way we can get a better picture and fully understand the struggle of both: patients and doctors.
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And, and i don’t know why its not popular, i’ve never seen this movie before (i don’t even heard about it) while it should be called one of the best movies
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Why do you say it’s not popular, Nataly? It is and was very popular. It was even nominated for three Academy Awards.
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Maybe i used wrong word. This movie isn’t on top on Filmweb for example (but it should be!), and personally, i’ve never heard about that film before.
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Yes, I agree with you 100%. In the one of the last scenes, where dr. Sayer was talking about frendship, family and being human was really important for me.
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“Awakenings” left me questioning the existence of justice. It shows how powerless we are against many diseases. Some scenes are just simply heartbreaking. The movie pictures its characters as real people with personalities, dreams and so much hope. It’s definetly a movie I will remember for a long time after watching it. I’m gonna recommend it to my friends as well. “The Panter”, poem mentioned by Leonard shows us how it feels for him to be trapped not only in hospital, but also in his own body. Sadly, he has no chances of escaping.
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I agree. I was moved when I understood, that life is not fair and everybody can get sick. It’s just terryfying
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I totally agree with you! also the scene when Leonard mum said that she wasn’t asking why this happend when her child was born healthy – becasue it was so normal to her and then when he got sick she understood how lucky she was
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You’re right, his mother’s sentence got stuck in my head as well. It’s hard to disagree with her, I don’t think we really appreciate being healthy. It’s something we take for granted.
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I agree with you, the sentence make us to think about it. We don’t see such simple facts and don’t appreciate things that seems to be normal. We understand how lucky we were only when we lose it
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I totally agree with you, it’s hard to define justice in the world and i also think that unfortunately, there is no justice in the world.
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I could not agree more, Iga. It was so frustrating to see how blind they were for all of the evidence dr Sayer showed them. I feel like some of them forgot why they started their proffesion in the first place.
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The poem tells us about an animal in a cage – with great potencial and possibly a great life beyond bards. But it is stuck inside a prison. The same concerns people in the movie Awakenings. They couldn’t talk, move or do anything by themselfs – they were inprisoned in their own body
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I agree with You, this cage in the film was Leonard body, and the bars was disease he couldn’t overpower on his own. In reflection to this poem I think this is one of the scariest things in the world, being inprisoned in own body.
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“Awakenings” was so moving and interesting. I really enjoyed it despite I don’t like this type of movies. So I’m glad I had chance to see it. I was happy with Leonard and his mother when he “comes back” and I was crying when his illness won at the end.
I think panther behind bars in the poem may be compared with every patient who can’t live normal life because he/ she is imprisoned in his/her own body.-
I can’t imagine how they felt after so many years. It’s worse than not seeing each other because you see the other person suffering
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Yes, I agree with you. I can’t even imagine how difficult it must be.
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For me the most touching scene was when Lucy admited that she knows what years it is – she just can’t accept that she is no longer 22 and she doesn’t know how to live that way, that made me think of what she lost and how she must feel realising that.
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That scene was extremely moving. Also when someone said that he had his life stolen, his parents were both dead and his wife got divorced many years ago and that he didn’t like his life both as a sick person and on medicine.
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Yes, this scene was really touching. She wanted to make up for lost time but it was impossible due to the experimentation of the drug and being in the hospital.
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Yes, this scene was very touching. I can;t even imagine what she felt.
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I do not think I will forget about this movie ever.. This movie was so moving and interesting. Every character was so well played: Leonard, doctor Sayer, Eleanor, patiens, i was curious about everyone in there. But the one i liked the most was doctor Sayer, because of his personality. “Awakenings” made me think more about how my body is important to me, especially that I have control over it.
Rilke’s poem “The Panther” was, in my view, really beautiful. I think this poem is the core of the movie, because it is showing how people with encephalitic syndrome see the world and how they feel. Leonard “shown” this poem to doctor Sayer to let him know that he is inside of his unmoving body, even if other people think otherwise: “An image enters then, goes through the tensioned stillness of the limbs — and in the heart ceases to be.”. People, like Leonard, feel traped in their own body. I would say that, for me, even the thought of being trapped in my body, without the possibility to tell anyone that I am still inside is one of my biggest fears.-
I totally agree. I was also quite surprised when I realised that the patients weren’t treated like normal, conscious people for years before dr. Sayer had shown the hospital workers that they still think and realise what’s around them. It’s just terrifying and unimaginable how hard it must have been for them.
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I was impresed by how dr. Sayer was determined to show others that these people are still inside. He wanted them to be treated normally.
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Eactly, characters were well played. I think that Leonard’s mother is memorable. Their history is moving and thought-provoking. They both love each other and I can’t imagine what his mother felt when after so many years her son finally “awake”. It must be a tough situation for Leonard beacuse he was “sleeping” for half of his life.
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I really enjoyed the movie. It had that 90’s films style like good will huntig or the green mile. To be honest I’ve seen it before because of Robin Williams and Robert de Niro, those are some of my favorite actors. In my opinion this film was very touching and it’s not about some topic, it’s about life so I think that any one can relate to it and find something that he likes in it.
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Yes, I agree. It teaches even healthy people about the most essential things: health, family and love. Things that we don’t appreciate until we become ill
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This film is very touching and surprising. What I like most about this film is that it’s based on a real story. In my opinion, films of this type are best suited to the audience. Even though the film is 30 years old, it was pleasant to watch, the quality didn’t interfere with anything. I think this poem may refer to Lenard’s situation and describe how he perceives the world.
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I think you are right. When I realized this film based on real story, I couldn’t say a word. It was even harder to watch for me
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It’s amazing how real stories are sometimes even more suprising than the invented ones.
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“Awakenings” is a masterpiece and I don’t know why this film isn’t as popular as for example “Shutter Island”. The crew is amazing. The best actors in the world like Robert De Niro or Robin Williams are starring there and I think they doing their job excellent. This film is very moving, but sad at the same time and for some people can be hard to watch. During the scene when Leonardo was saying goodbye to Paula, I was crying like a baby.The hardest part to watch for me was the scene when he was seeing her and he knew it was the last time. I have never been so moved by any film.
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I totally agree with you, even now when someone mentions that scene I get so sad so quickly. I think that was the moment when I finally undestood that there is no going back to normal life for any of them.
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Yes, in several scenes it was hard to me to watch. Kinga, which moments did you like the most?
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That’s a great question, thank you!. There was 3 scenes, that I find the best. First one, when Paula and Leonard were dancing, there was something about it that took my heart. Second one was when Leonard was watching Paula through the window, and he was aware it is the last time he sees her. The third was when he woke up the doctor and he tried to convinced him that people forgot what was life about.
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Yes it was touching and cried about 30 minuts after the film. His farewell was like he would have gone to death.
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I think the same. “Awakenings” is one of the most moving and thought-provoking movies I have ever watched. It should be more popular because it’s really touching history.
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I also share a tear watching this scene and all movie. And also Robert De Niro and Robin Williams do an excellent job.
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Yes, totally and I think for us it is so harsch to see that those people just can’t live liku us. Also how presence of healthy people allows them to feel normal again.
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To be honest I didn’t expect to enjoy the movie, especially when I saw it’s two hours long. But then I realize that there are really great actors playing in it such as Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. So watching this movie made me fell in love with it. I smiled when the patients got better and cried when something got worse. It was a more emotional movie than I expected. The poem is about living in the cage which is how we can describe the life of Leonard. Due to his disability, he was like alive creature locked in a cage.
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As you said, the film was really good. I also admired Robin Williams’s acting. His character was incerdibly commited to patients and he never lose his enthusiasm and hope
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Because of the great acting I also believe in the characters. It was so hard to not feel pity for them or to not cry. Especially when it happend for real.
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You’re right. I can’t even imagine how hard is it to play a disabled person.
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You’re right Agnes. They acted so brilliantly that sometimes i even forgot they only play a people with a disease. The fact that the movie is based on a true story adds credibility
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It was a heartbreaking movie. It made me thinking about these poor people whose life was taken from them by the disease. After a fit of hope the end seemed to me even more sad.
Leonard wanted to explain to the doctor what it’s like to be in his condition. The poem is about the panter in a cage whose situation is analogous to Leonard’s. He is behind “the bares” and for him the world doesn’t exist.-
It’s unimaginable how life could be unfair. The Disease has taken freedom from Leonard away. He was a really smart kid and then he changed into a man who is not independent and even unable to express what he feels.
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I’ve never heard of this movie before. I think everyone should watch it. It was extremely touching. Although I usually don’t watch such movies but this one i enjoyed.
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Does this film changed something about you? After watching this I understood that life is short and sometimes we should be more aware of it.
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Yes, I have a very similar feeling. I think that now I understand how much I should appreciate my own life.
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I feel the same, usually I’m more into comedies or horrors, I don’t like being emotional during a movie. After watching “Awakenings” I think I’m gonna give this genre another chance.
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Yes, I didn’t expect that I will enjoy this movie at all.
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This movie was very touching and interesting. I was watching it with my dad and we both liked it very much. The most touching part for me was when Leonard hugged his mum. This movie made me feel mor grateful for being healthy.
I think this poem refers to patients at the hospital, who are prisoners of their illness and can’t live normally.-
I also think that moment with a hug was the most moving.
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Oh yes. And the scene when Leonard and Paula were dancing. It was so touching
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“Awakenings” was such a great movie. To be honest, I wasn’t convinced at the very beginig, but I finished crying with emotions. It’s an amazing story not only about horrible disease, but also about what is important in life – family, friendship, love and joy of life. This movie gave me food for thought. I felt compassion for Leonard and other encephalitis patients, but their stories show me that I should be greateful for being healthy and having abilities to funcion normally.
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yes, I agree. It is so sad that we appreciate health, family and ability to function normally when we lose those thing
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I totally agree with you, I also felt compassion and I was more grateful for being healthy.
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I think that this poem might relate to people like Leonard. He is a prisoner of his disease. He couldn’t live like healthy people, he must have had someone who helped him with daily activities. Leonard couldn’t even go outside by his own. It was like living in a cage.
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This movie is incredibly moving for me. It pays attention to the mot important things in our lives. The things that we usually take for granted. As Leonard’s mother said: “When my son was born healthy I never asked why. But when he became ill I asked everyone and I was looking for someone who could stop it.” We don’t appreciate simple things in life. We consider them to be too “simple” to be grateful for them but in my opinion being healthy is as simple as being ill. We make ourselves believe that we are too busy to take care of such common issues but those are the most core in our lives.
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What she said was really moving. I thnik she was so powerful woman, she spent her life with her son and never left, even though it was hard.
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Yes i totally agree with you, Most people chase after material things, forgetting that the most important thing is our lives nad simple things as you said
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I agree with both of you. I admire Leonard’s mom. She’ve never left his side. She dedicated her whole life for his son.
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Leoard and the rest of the patients suffered from, I think was called, encephalitic lethragica.
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If I remember correctly the all of the patients suffered from encephalitis lethargica.
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They suffered from catatonia caused by the epidemic of encephalitis lethargica.
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They suffered from encephalitis
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I think that they have encephalitis lethargica.
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Leonard and other patients suffered from encephalitis lethargica.
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everyone survived the epidemic of encephalitis lethargica
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They had encephalitis lethargica
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I think there was an epidemic of encephalitis lethargica and many people got this disease
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It was encephalitis lethargica.
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I think they suffered from catatonia what was caused by the epidemic of encephalitis lethargica
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The film was not only very educational but also moving. Definitely the ending was what
struckedstruck me the most. We got to see all the patiens get their life back and then it was all taken away from them. I think that the poem might be Leonard’s attempt to explain the state he was in for 30 years. However, it is very hard for me to understand what he really meant. What is more is that I enjoyed how the movie was made. It had a lot of hidden details and meanings. The one scene that I loved was when Dr. Sayer took Leonrad out for the first time and when they were walking down the stairs Leonrad’s slow steps were compered to little girl’s steps. I find it beautiful.-
Yes, this scene was so lovely. It’s really sad that when we grow we forgot how it was to be a child. We walk because we can, we talk because we can, but Leonard’s case shows us that it is not so obvious and we never know when life will make us start everything over
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He was able to appreciate those small things in life that are often forgotten about as we grow older. The comparison between him and the room full of other adults stayed imprinted in my memory. There’s someting very scary about forgetting what does it mean to be really alive.
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I really liked this movie. It was touching and very interesting. I have never heard about this story before and that kind of disease. Although I enjoyed watching it, last 30 minutes were hard. For me it was so moving and sad watching all these people coming back to previous condition. Moreover I was impressed by Robert De Niro and Robin Williams.
In my opinion this poem shows how is the life for people suffering from the diseases like Leonard.-
I agree with you, movie was relly touching. Also starring was great. Robert De Niro and Robin Williams did a great job.
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Leonard and other patients suffered from encephalitis lethargica.
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I really enjoyed „Awakenings”. The biggest advantage of this movie are main actors – Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. Both characters were played very convincingly. De Niro especially caught my attention. I knew that he is a good actor, but typically he plays gangsters etc. Here he shows all of his acting skills, proves that he can identify with a very sick man. I’m surprised that I never heard about this movie before.
I think that Rilke’s poem symbolizes patients. Because of their illness, they are trapped in their bodies just like panther behind the bars.-
Yes, their act was fantastic. No wonder they were nominated for the Academy Award for the best acting.
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True. In my opinion good acting is really important because thanks to it we can better understand the story that is shown in the film
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I don’t know what was the name of the disease, but I heard that the patients survived the epidemic of encephalitis lethargica in 1920′.
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Yes, you’re all right. They suffered from encephalitis lethargica which was epidemic in the 1920s. As far as we know, around five million people died from causes related to it. Its aetiology (=causes) is unclear but a leading theory says that it was caused by streptococcal (paciorkowiec) infection.
What made Dr Sayer administer a medicine for parkinsonian patients to the catatonic, post-encephalitic patients?
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He noticed that the patients have reflexes and he discovered that he can communicate with Leonard thanks to a board with letters. So he decided to try it on post-encephalitic patients to see if he could help them.
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He could comunicate with Leonard and understood that he is still there. Additionally he noticed that patients with this disease have reflexes and are able to for example catcha a ball.
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Dr Sayer wanted to give L-dopa to these patients because of Lucy – she was his patient. He observed that she is able to catch her glasses when she drops them and later he showed to other doctors that all of these patients are able to catch a ball if thrown at them – it showed that they still have reflexes. Later he discovered that Leonard can comunicate with him with ouija board (with letters) and wanted to know if giving them this medicine will help. They also have problems with moving – it was similiar to Parkinson’s disease.
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Do you remember Lucy’s “on-off effects”? They were very similar to those experienced by people with PD.
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Dr Sayer administered dopamine to his patiens because he found similarities between them and Parkies.
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There was a scene where dr Sayer appeared to having already got a brainwave about the illness symptoms and understood them as multiplied Parkinson’s symptoms. He remarked the patients’ catatonia didn’t have a mental background but seemed to be caused by such a severe tremor and tension that it made them frozen.
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Dr Sayer noticed similar symptoms to P.D. and also they could catch a ball or glasses so he gave them L-DOPA
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He noticed some similarities between symptoms of both diseases. Then he went on a conference about L-dopa and after approaching its leader and confirming there is a possibility of succes he decided to try.
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Dr. Sayer observed some similarity between the catatonic patients and those with parkinsonism. He noticed that when he was examining his patient called Lucy. She cought her falling glasses despite having movement problems. It showed that those patients have reflexed.
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I think Dr. Sayer decided to give this drug to post-encephalitic patients because their syndrome was very similar to Parkinskon’s, which meant that maybe treating the two diseases in a similar way would be effective.
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For me this movie was very touching. Literally I’ ve cried so many times. However it was very beautiful because after it hit me that I’m so lucky to be healthy. Leonard have mentioned that people can’t see good values in their live unless loosing them. And thats the great truth that we should be reminded every day. Also it was unimaginable for me how quickly some of the patients found themself back again in the reality after so many years of beeing absent. So I fully understood Lucy or Frank. In my opinion this poem splendidly describes the state of peple suffering for this diesase. They feel like being in prison from where they just can’t escape.
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Yes, it was very touching when Leonard said that we take everything for granted, even the ability to go for a walk. And it was sad when Lucy admitted that she knew what year it was, but she couldn’t believe that she is old and she lost so many years of her life being absent.
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I agree with you. Watching such films reminds us how lucky we are thanks to that we are healthy and can live as we want.
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Leonard and other patients suffered from encephalitis lethargica. It’s sometimes called “sleeping sickness” or “sleepy sickness” and I think that these names describe this desease greatly.
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Lenard’s disease was caused by brain stem damage and had symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease. Lenard and other patients suffered from encephalitis lethargica
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I have really enjoyed the film. It was both interesting and touching. I was on the edge of my seat all the time, hoping that the main character will eventually manage to heal the patients. It is again, like previous stories which we had to read/watch, story about being imprisoned. Patients cannot live as they want to, what is causing a lot of pain to them, their families and to me, as a viewer. I have never been good
inat interpreting poems but I think it refers to patients and the case of being imprisoned. -
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They suffered from encephalitis lethargica. They have symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease. They are also imprisoned in their own body. Like they are sleeping but they can’t wake up.
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I really enjoyed the movie. I was moved already in the first scenes when Leonard could not write his name on the bench or an exam in class. He was an A student before that all happened. I am so emotional when it comes to kids. That is why I got into this movie so fast. It is definitely worth watching. I clearly remember one sentence which made me realize a lot. Leonard’s mum said that she never asked why she had such a perfect child, did she deserve a son like Leonard. But she demanded an answer why he got sick. That made me think that we do not appreciate what we have. Our health, possibilities, home and family are not an obvious things but a gift.
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I believe that ‘Awakenings’ is a reflection upon the sense of human life. Between the lines it also raises questions about human rights and individual freedom and points out whether it is right that the healthy ones decide about life of the afflicted – and when it becomes a predominance. That is a very complex ethical issue and I think we still look for an answer… I think here lies the hidden connection between the plot and the mentioned poem about the caged panthera. As long as we are healthy we can only conceive what is it like to contract an incurable disease. We don’t know the exact capabilities of the ill – all we have as of now are medically proved general regularities. Despite the fragmentary understanding, we feel in charge to decide about them – I hope our empathy would always be enough.
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“Awakenings” is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, it is very touching. I have to admit that the movie affected me. Doctor Sayer is inspiring, he worked hard to help people in catatonia, even though at first the
othersother doctors were treating him frivolously. He had an idea togivetreatthe sickhis catatonic patients with L-Dopa – a medication, wchich was originally for Parkinson’s disease. The medication helped them for some time, but it was still a miracle.Rilke’s poem “The Panther”
make angives the impression that it is about a person in catatonia. It mentiones symptoms of catatonia, for example “His gaze from staring through the bars” or “around a center, where a great will stands paralyzed”.-
In my opinion it is very interesting, that he used L-Dopa, especialy because we studied about it one week ago.
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Yes, it was surprising for me.
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I agree with you. This movie is a real tearjerker. Which scene was the most moving for you?
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I think it was the moment when Leonard’s mother came to visit him after the mirical night when he woke up awake and they started to cry. Which one was yours?
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For me, it was the moment when Leonard and Paula danced together. This was his first and probably last dance. I immediately started to cry.
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I thought about this scene as well, it was very emotional.
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I’m glad I watched this movie. It was very moving. Now I understand better that people with disabilites are normal people. They enjoy the simplest things like a fresh air or going for a walk. I admire dr Sayer’s dedication to patiens. The movie teach us that we should enjoy the present time, that we shouldn’t take anything for granded. It shows us also that support of family and friends ale invaluable.
The poem is about living in the cage. Leonard is like a panther because of his disability. The outside world doesn’t exist for him.
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You’re right. People in catatonia are living in a cage, they are prisoners of their one body.
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There was a scene when patients were about to go to botanical garden and one man bowed over the wheel of the bus. Someone told him: “yes, it’s a tyre” and he said: “yes, I know it’s a tyre. I’m not an idiot” This scene shows us that sometimes we treat ill people like they would be “not as intelligent as” we – healthy people – are. It’s sad because we behave like we would be “better” or “smarter” whereas those ill people can teach as much more than we could ever think of.
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Oh yes, and we call it acts of empathy and protection to them. That’s what Leonard pointed out when he fought for permission to go for a walk – as if we, the healthy ones, knew in advance what they need, what they feel, what are their capabilities, because due to their diseases they must be impaired to some extent.
The sympathy for the ill should be the same we have for the people we perceive as equal to us, but is is easily forgotten. Maybe overprotection gives an illusion of control of the difficulty?-
Yes, I totally agree with you. I guess we need that illusion to have the feeling of being merciful
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“Awakenings” was one of my favourite movie in the past. First of all, I love the cast! I think that acting was brilliant. Secondly, the plot was really interesting and inspiring. This movie was very touching and I’d love to read a book!
I think poem “The Panther” in its own poetic language describes imprisonment in any meaning.-
I have the same thought as you. And the fact that movie is based on a real life experience makes movie even better and more touching.
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I think the same about the cast. In the amazing way they showed what it’s like to have this disease.
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The symptoms of their disease were similar to the Parkinson’s. L-dopa was a cure for Parkinson’s so the doctor thought that it might also help with encephalitis lethargica.
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For example, when Lucy walked across the floor, she stopped in front of the place where the “check” on the floor ended. But when the doctor painted the “check”, lucy went on without problems.
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You’re right. Do you remember what advice Pamela Quinn gave to people with PD who may freeze just like Lucy did?
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She advised to begin walking side to side like a penguin.
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Also they had lack of expression on the face
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The Oliver Sayes’s patients had problems with moving, they often couldn’t mantain balance. They didn’t speak or write. However they could catch a ball. The Parkinson’s and encephalitis lethargica have one main similarity. They make human’s body a prison. L-dopa pulls out some of the bars and helps people be awaken.
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Dr Sayer realized that inside those disabled people, which were believed to be in the vegetal state, there are still living souls who feel and think. And because their symptoms were similar to symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, he decided to try the same medicine.
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Yes, I understand this in the same way. I believe that in real life is many people like Dr Sayer and they really want to help people like those depicted in movie- disabled but still there is a little hope for them.
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I think that Dr Sayer administer a medicine for parkinsonian patients to the catatonic patients because he saw potential in this medicine and everything is worth trying if it doesn’t make any worse.
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There is a moment in the movie in which an older doctor that Dr Sayer consulted said that post-encephalitic patients stopped thinking completely because “alternative is unthinkable”. What did he mean by saying it?
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I think he meant that if the patient were actually thinking it would mean that for so many years they were unfairly treated as if they weren’t thinking and as if they were in vegetative, unconscious state. And it turned out to be the hard, terrifying truth.
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By this, he means that it would be horrible if they could think in their state. If they could think when they cannot move and been treated like they are not humans anymore. This older doctor did not wanted to think that these people suffer that much.
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The alternative is unthinkable – but from the viewpoint of medical knowledge gained until know, because the symptoms suggest a substantial damage to different brain structures. A severe decline of elementary abilities – speaking, walking or just voluntary moves – allows to draw conclusions about a damage to primary parts of the brain – and let alone to the cortex, expected to be the localization of human thinking.
So, provided that he was an old experienced physician, he just based on scientifically confirmed information. The problem is science still haven’t figured out the mechanisms behind human upper mental features generating the human spirit.
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When it comes to the poem, I think that it can be read in the context od Leonard’s condition. In the movie it is reapeted many times that this state is like endless sleep. What comes to my mind first is the scene when Lucy wanted to look out the window. She could not even if she was trying because her brain did not cooperate with her. At the same time, Lucy
known what the year wasknew what year it was. Leonard said to Paula that her father heard her. I think that shows the sense of the poem. Those patiens are stuck in their bodies, in the state of non-existence. That looks like prison. -
I think the doctor said it because it is easier to think that way. It must be terrifying to know that your patients are aware of everything and they really suffer and you can’t help them any way.
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Yes, it’s hard to imagine what people who are aware feel in a body that has “fallen asleep”for 30 years.
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After Lucy was singing a song, she admitted to nurse that the last thing she remember is her being young and joyful. It was sad, that she “slept” most of her life.
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Watching the movie I didn’t really understand what he had meant. I think he might have said that because he found it hard to imagine that those not moving, not responsive patients could be actually thinking. That despite their disease they would process things like a healthy person.
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We can’t imagine how these people feel or think. If we knew, it might scare us, the thought, that we might feel that way too someday. That’s why people like assuming, that patients with this and simular diseases don’t think at all/
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I agree with You. Actually I think it’s sad- not facing the truth and living in the lie. In concequence refusing possibility to help cure patients with similar diseases.
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I think that he wanted to say that it would be very terrifying, sad and so difficult for these people (post-encephalitic patients) so that unimaginable or maybe he couldn’t believe that people looking and behaving in that way can think.
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I think that he said that because its easier that way – you don’t have to think about your patients that are aware of what is happening and the really suffer because of that.
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I think what the doctor was trying to say is that if these people would be actually still able to think, it’s simply too painful for him to even imagine what it’s like. He doesn’t know how to help them, so it’s easier for him to belive they don’t care anyway.
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I think he said that because if the patients were aware of what they were expierenced it must be something indescribable by any words. It’s easier to think that way
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Yes, it must be incredibly tough for patients that are aware of everything that is happening around them and not be able to react
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It is hard to imagine that your body is like stone but your mind is working even for doctors who cames across with many cases
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I think he meant that if those people were able to think they would realize that they were in a really bad condition.
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Being aware of your “sleepy” condition for 30 years sounds like the worst nightmare.
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I agree, the worst thing is that once they were finally awake, they had no idea how to keep up with the way present life looks like. Just like Lucy said – “I know it’s not 1926. I just need it to be”
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Oh yes an the scene when Lucy said to the nurse: “I know it’s not 1926 but I really need it to be.” It was so sad that she “slept through” most of her life
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To me the saddest part was when Leonard saw his reflection in the mirror for the fisrt time and realised that he is no longer a little boy.
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I suppose that nobody thought that patients like this, with no response could actually think. Even doctors in hospital were negative about Sayer’s reaserch. Maybe other explenation went beyond the possibilities of medicine then.
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They probably thought that they are unconscious or I would say harshly “dead inside”. Maybe it was easier to think that way.
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Yes and maybe different attitude would require additional operations when as we have seen personnel prefered watching soao operas than looking after patients.
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I think that maybe the doctor said it as a form of rationalisation. He was embaressed that after all this years he thought that they were ” empty ” inside. But as we see they all were aware , even Leonard said to Paula “He knows, your father knows you visit him” so it tells us that theyy really feel inside.
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Or maybe it was denial? The doctor didn’t want to admit to himself that these people could think or be conscious.
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Yes, maybe it would be denial
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In my opinion, what happens in the heads of sick people is often a mystery to healthy people and also to doctors. It is frightening to me that they may be aware of everything that is happening around them, but their bodies don’tt allow them to react to stimuli from their surroundings. I can say that these people are prisoners of their own bodies. Maybe the senior doctor said thah they stopped thinking because it’s just easier to accept.
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It seems to me that he said that because thinking about future of these patients hurts too much. He wasn’t able to help them, so its easier to think that they don’t care, they are just vegetating
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Did you know that the character of Dr Sayer was based on Oliver Sacks? He was the doctor in the “chronic” hospital.
I think this short video may be of interest to you.-
Yes, I knew about that. As soon as I read that the movie was based on a true story, I searched about Oliver Sacks. He said that the brain is the most incredible thing in the universe and I think this is true.
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To be honest, I have never read any of his books, but I heard about “The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat” and I really want to read it.
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Yes, excuse me. I forgot. I’d like to read all the book, because “The Disembodied Lady” was very interesting.
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Sacks is the reason why I got interested in neurology and psychology. My favourite book is “The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat” but I like all of his books that I read, because they are all very different from one another
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Dominika, if you enjoy his books, you may take an interest in his essay “The Abyss” about Clive Wearing.
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This video is really interpretive, it was interesting to watch real footage. Someone in youtube comment section mention that Olivier Sacks looks like Robin Williams and I think it’s true. It makes movie more realistic.
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I knew that and I really like that Olivier Sacks and Robin Williams look familiar, it helps with realism of this film.
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I’m pleasently suprised with the amount of effort the actors put in their work. It must be really challenging to learn their behaviour or tics, as well as showing their real emotions.
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I think it’s easier to think that their are unconscious. The fought that there is nothing you can do to help your patients must be horrible.
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You’re right. They have also lost many years of their lives. I remember when Dr Sayer told Leonard’s mum that her son can come back and she asked: “to what”?
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I became interested in Oliver Sacks when I read that the film was based on a true story. I found out that he is the author of many interesting books related to the subject of the mind.
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The post-encephalitic patients awoke after years or decades of being “frozen”, yet after some time they relapsed.
What do we know about L-dopa treatment?-
L-dopa produces anti-parkinsonian effects, but after that, it gradually stops working and doctors have to increase the dose of it. It also causes various side effects like for example paranoia.
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I think that involuntary movements of the arms, legs, or head called dyskinesias, confusion, paranoia and at some point aggression.
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We know that L-dopa treatment has side effects like uncontrolled movements. We see it in a movie when Leonard is touching his face with his left hand over and over again. Sometimes it caused weird behaviour like addiction to sex.
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Firstly he became aggressive, lost control of his movements and his hands trembled again. He also realized his illness and considered himself a freak.
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With time the patients gained tolerance to L-dopa. It also had some side effects that occured to be even harder for the patients.
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Yes, there are many of side effects, for example: hair loss, vivid dreams or insomnia, confusion, effects on learning.
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L-dopa is using in treatment?? of Parkinson’s disease but the application of increasing doses leads to many side effects
f.ee.g. paranoia, tickles, uncontrolled movements. In the filmf.ee.g. Leonard is moving his head without any control, grabs his head with a hand. -
We know that L-dopa temporarily provide patients’ functioning close to normal. It crosses the blood-brain barrier where it is transformed into dopamine. Perhaps the improvement is only
momentanoustemporary because the increased activity of dopaminergic brain structures compensate for a while other damages. Or maybe the sustained injury is so extended /severe that the moment of normal functioning deepens it and the brain has to come back to the limited functioning just to survive. -
L-dopa give patients a short time of living a normal life, but later side effects starting to show up. For example, unvoluntary movement that Leonard had. When patient took L-dopa it is short-term improvement, but later patient needs to take more and more because dosage is too low.
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Yes, it is the reason why patients try to limit -dopa to minimum, because they don’t want side effects occur.
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L-dopa is a treatment for Parkinson’s, but it was used to helping Sacks’s patients. It woke them up, they could walk, write, speak again. However it has side effects that are unbearable for some e.g. tics that you can’t control.
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L-dopa brought patients back to normal for a while. After many years they could enjoy life, talk to their loved ones, go on a trip. Initially, the doctor gave too small
adoses of the drug, which did not bring any effect, but increasing the dose to 1000mg the effect was excellent. Unfortunately, there were side effects of the treatment, patients started to behave agressively, the tremors returned. -
Watching his patients awake after years of being “asleep”, Dr Sayer experience his own awakening. What was it?
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He realised that he was also “asleep” -he had no family, no wife, no friends. He began to notice loved ones around him for example Eleonore.
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Leonard helped him to realise he practically dedicated his whole existence to his job. With no family and friends, he became socially inexperienced and couldn’t even see Eleonor’s affection towards him. Leonard and other patients showed him that we should be grateful for all the simple things that make our lifes better.
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Dr. Sayer has experienced an ,,awakening” in his life’s affairs. Despite the fact that, as he admitted, he likes people very much, he did not establish many social relations because he was not good at it. He had no wife or family.
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He was shy and socially awkward, just like Sacks himself. Watching his patients return to life taught him a very important lesson: life is not just about work, but first of all about people.
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I think the work took control of his life – the doctor focused so much on the patients that he forgot about himself.
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Thanks to Leonard, he experienced his own „awakening” and finally saw that he had devoted himself to science. After that, he starter living his private life.
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Leonard showed and helped him realise
dthat the simplest things are important in life e.g. love, familly and friendship. Dr. Sayer wasn’ t good at relations with others but finally he went with Eleonor for coffee. His patients also showed that people should value life. -
At the end of the presentation summarising the experimental therapy he said the real settings of the therapeutic miracle – the inevitable falling asleep again – awakes renewed awareness of what is the most essential in human life, the things that makes us human. They are family, friendship, work, our passions. I wonder why there is always that accompanying reflection that we take them for granted and only after loss/we lose them we are able to truly appreciate them. I don’t think it is completely true. I think the everyday concerns, worries, disappointments show that we really
takecare.
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Dear All,
thank you for the discussion. The thread stays open and I will come back here to see if there’re any new developments 🙂
Next week, I’d like you to take a test on memory and memory loss. In two weeks’ time, our classes will move to MS Teams. Meanwhile I will send you an email with more information.
Talk to you later!
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This movie was very, very moving! It’s amazing that this people were so curious and believing. They are so honest. We see that they are normal people.
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