Awakenings (1990)

A life-affirming movie, as our lecturer likes to call it, Awakenings certainly allowed me to see life in a different light through its central theme of perseverance and cherishing the present. Its realistic portrayal of a catatonic patient's struggle as regains his life, only to have it slowly and painfully taken away from him again, really left a deep impression on me.

This movie touches a lot on having an optimistic outlook on life, from the staff who were influenced by Dr Sayer's commitment to the patients, to Leonard's will of using himself as a sample for the doctors to learn more about his condition, and finally to every single character in the movie who did not give up on themselves as well as their loved ones even after their hopes were crushed by reality, but still chose to stay in the fight with determination and perseverance.

Besides, it also portrays an inclination of including positive psychology and human-centered therapy in dealing with patients. One of the instances was when Dr Sayer and Eleanor figured out multiple triggers for the catatonic patients to regain movement such as music, human touch, and consistent patterns. It was also shown when Leonard pleaded for the luxury to walk outside of hospital compound alone, as he put it "you woke a human, not a thing". Positive psychology emphasizes on the potential of every human being and using that to help them thrive in life (Positive Psychology UK), whether it is using positive experience such as music and emotional support, or developing a sense of social responsibility like what Dr Sayer did throughout the movie.

Leonard:

People have forgotten what life is all about.

They've forgotten what it is to be alive.

They need to be reminded.

They need to be reminded of what they have and what they can lose.

A particular scene in the movie struck me and sent chills down my spine. It was when Dr Sayer visited another expert in Parkisonism and asked the expert how was he so sure that the patients do not have any cognitive abilities during their catatonic state.

"Because the alternative is unthinkable".

To me this answer also reflected human behavior in other aspects of life. It is the "easy way out", similar to a state of denial or escapism when we have yet to understand something that is beyond our capabilities or comprehensibility. The dismissal of those patients' mental state also led to a form of dehumanization, where they were cast aside as "human furniture" instead of being treated like a normal human being. This is also reflected on Dr Kaufman (and the other staff) who was numbed by the seemingly untreatable patients and said something like this at the start of the movie:

Sayer: How will they get well?

Kaufman: They don't. They're chronic.

We call it the garden because all we do is feed and water them.

Fortunately, as the story progress all characters showed a certain degree of development. The staff, for instance, were moved by Leonard's awakening and voluntarily donated for a larger scale of L-Dopa administration. However, the most apparent development was still seen on both our protagonists, Dr Sayer and Leonard.

Dr Sayer turned from an anxious, reserved character who have no experience working with real-life patients, to a doctor dedicated to help his friend and to bring change to the medical field as well as the world. It was his sense of responsibility as a researcher which prompted him to dig deeper into the disease, but most importantly it was his courage to experiment that brought Leonard and the others back, albeit only for a short while. Towards the end of the movie, he was also able to step out of his comfort zone and confront his feelings towards Eleanor.

As for Leonard, we were introduced to this character halfway through the story, when he still displayed child-like behavior as well as interest before realizing that he has lost 30 years due to his disease. His experience reminded me of the 5 stages of death and dying. Starting with denial and continued to anger, he led a bunch of other patients in attempt to break free of their suffocating environment, but he finally accepted his condition and reconciled with Dr Sayer until he became catatonic once again.

All in all, this is a movie about finding hope in times of despair, and despite its realistic but heartbreaking ending, it teaches us to always live in the present as life is too short for regrets. Most importantly, however, is to never give up on yourself. Even though Dr Sayer was still trying to look for ways to "wake" his patients up after the initial awakening failed, and the hospital staffs continued to care for them with genuine warmth and kindness, it is in Leonard's strong will to live that we learned that living is something that most people take for granted as most of us never needed to go through what they went through, and since we are blessed enough to have been given a life, it would only be appropriate if we live it to the fullest.

References:
Positive Psychology UK. (2016). Retrieved from http://positivepsychology.org.uk/what-is-positive-psychology/