Awakenings
Director: Penny Marshall
Cast: Robin Williams, Robert De Niro, Julie Kavner, Ruth Nelson John Heard
When a young doctor encounters patients locked in a state of catatonic “sleep”, what begins as an impossible endeavor is soon transformed into a journey towards hope and healing when he discovers a miracle cure that will allow the patients’ lives to be restored to them. But will life be as they remembered it, or will the patients who have “awakened” be locked in another prison that they cannot escape?
What is the value of human life? Can it be defined by the mere monetary value of a single individual? Or is it something more; an individual whose compassionate heart allows him to take a moment to recognize the worth of the soul that humanity has rendered worthless? This is the task given to Dr. Sayer (Robin Williams) when he dares to ponder the impossible question: is it considered a worthy cause to save the lives of individuals lost in darkness? What if a human life were lost in impenetrable darkness? Do the souls who are “asleep” merely need to be reminded of what they have to live for? Can life ever truly be restored? Or are the souls lost in darkness doomed to wander forever alone?
Another question to ponder is what are we who are awake to do with the people that we awaken? Do the souls we awaken slip back into their former lives? Or are they, in some respect, still “asleep”? Do we find the “sleepers” changed and fear what they have become once they are re-awakened? Do we grant them the freedom they so desperately cry out for, or do we shutter them in darkness because we fear the new lives that we have created? Will we restore an individual’s life only to extinguish their soul once again because of our own selfish fear? As Dr. Sayer realized in the film, even when the “awakened” soul struggles between being asleep and being alive, it is ironically that human touch – that small moment of heartfelt compassion – which inspires a soul to live and to love again.
I dedicate this article to Robin Williams…a bright and beautiful soul who saw past the faces and flaws of the lives he touched and instead, found his way into our hearts and showed us all how to recognize the true meaning of life, love, and fulfilling our dreams.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Penny Marshall
Cast: Robin Williams, Robert De Niro, Julie Kavner, Ruth Nelson John Heard
When a young doctor encounters patients locked in a state of catatonic “sleep”, what begins as an impossible endeavor is soon transformed into a journey towards hope and healing when he discovers a miracle cure that will allow the patients’ lives to be restored to them. But will life be as they remembered it, or will the patients who have “awakened” be locked in another prison that they cannot escape?
What is the value of human life? Can it be defined by the mere monetary value of a single individual? Or is it something more; an individual whose compassionate heart allows him to take a moment to recognize the worth of the soul that humanity has rendered worthless? This is the task given to Dr. Sayer (Robin Williams) when he dares to ponder the impossible question: is it considered a worthy cause to save the lives of individuals lost in darkness? What if a human life were lost in impenetrable darkness? Do the souls who are “asleep” merely need to be reminded of what they have to live for? Can life ever truly be restored? Or are the souls lost in darkness doomed to wander forever alone?
Another question to ponder is what are we who are awake to do with the people that we awaken? Do the souls we awaken slip back into their former lives? Or are they, in some respect, still “asleep”? Do we find the “sleepers” changed and fear what they have become once they are re-awakened? Do we grant them the freedom they so desperately cry out for, or do we shutter them in darkness because we fear the new lives that we have created? Will we restore an individual’s life only to extinguish their soul once again because of our own selfish fear? As Dr. Sayer realized in the film, even when the “awakened” soul struggles between being asleep and being alive, it is ironically that human touch – that small moment of heartfelt compassion – which inspires a soul to live and to love again.
I dedicate this article to Robin Williams…a bright and beautiful soul who saw past the faces and flaws of the lives he touched and instead, found his way into our hearts and showed us all how to recognize the true meaning of life, love, and fulfilling our dreams.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.