The Awakenings Movie Analysis

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Recommended: Critical review of awakenings movie

DANGCO, DOMINIC A. BSPT/ PT1-1 Ms. Peggy Anne W. Orbe, MAEd
Movie Critique of “The Awakenings”
The writer: Oliver Sacks (book), Steven Zaillian (screen play)
The Director: Penny Marshall
The Year the movie was shown: 1990 The movie, Awakenings, is a 1990 medical drama film which is based on true life events. It shows a true life story based on Oliver Sacks’ book, Awakening. The movie as well as the book tells us a fascinating and a profoundly moving journey of patients suffering from encephalitis lethargica also known as the “sleepy sickness”. I cannot deny the fact that the movie was really heart melting, amazing, and touching . It really did move me for it delves deeply into one of the worst human fears, losing the ability to move and function, but it is never forced or manipulative, and there is no heavy-handed message or moral. It is just a fascinating story that was wonderfully …show more content…

The main characters in the movie were Dr. Malcolm Sayer, Eleanor Costello, and Leonard Lowe. The movie mainly revolves around Dr. Malcolm Sayer who works at the Bronx hospital and has no experience working with the patients; indeed, his last project involved earthworms, as he journeys his way to find a cure to the patients with encephalitis lethargica or sleepy sickness that have been in a catatonic state for decades. When he finds a possible chemical cure he gets permission to try it on one of patients, Leonard Lowe. He tested this possible chemical cure to him called “ L-DOPA” which was a proven cure for Parkinson's which he believed can offer a breakthrough to this. It enabled Leonard to get back normal state, where he can move and function well and do whatever his brain wants him to do. Because of this Dr. Sayer then decides to use it on other patients hoping for a dramatic miracle to

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