Awakening Movie Review

By Taral Patel
Awakenings is a movie from the 1990 documenting the effect of Levo-Dopa. The
primary actor of the movie is Robin Williams who portrays the character of Dr. Malcolm
Sayer, who began his work in a local hospital of The Bronx in New York City. Here he
began to treat individuals with the diagnosis of catatonia after exposure to encephalitis
lethargica. Majority of individuals with this diagnosis had not moved in many years, but
Dr. Sayer realizes that these individuals respond to different stimuli such as sound and
touch. After attending a convention regarding L-Dopa, Dr. Sayer treats a patient
(Leonard) with L-Dopa in attempts to facilitate movement by inhibiting catatonia.
Due to medication, Leonard is able to regain voluntary control. After seeing the
success of Leonard, the medication was administered to other patients. All had temporary
gains of voluntary motor control. Leonard engaged socially with Paula, a visitor of
another patient in the same ward. As the novelty effect of the medication began to wear
off, Leonard began to display small involuntary movements that the doctors classified as
tics. As time passed, the resting tremors grew in magnitude to become choreatic-like
movements. Due to this relapse, Leonard ended his relationship with Paula and returned
into a catatonic state. As the research advanced Leonard experienced additional periods
of awakenings but none of them were as strong as the one experienced in 1969.
As Dr. Sayer summarized the research experience, a powerful revelation was
shared with the hospitals patrons: The human spirit is more powerful than any drug and
that is what needs to be nourished. This is the essence of what we as physical therapist
treat and address by establishing a relationship with our patients.