Awakenings (1990)

One theme that I find particularly interesting in this film is that of change - or rather, the resistance to change. This is displayed by several characters throughout the film.

Lucy, for instance, states "I know it's not 1926. I just need it to be." as she cannot imagine all the years she's missed out on when she was in a catatonic state.

Another example would be the doctors at the hospital, who were sceptical of Dr. Sayer's opinions on the condition of the catatonic patients, and were reluctant to do anything about it as they were comfortable in their belief that there was no way to help those patients.

At the very beginning of the film, Dr. Sayer himself was reluctant to take on the role of a medical doctor in the hospital (even though he needed the job), as he was accustomed to conducting research and having minimal interaction with people.

However, the scene that stood out for me was that of Mrs. Lowe ranting to Dr. Sayer about Leonard's sudden interest in girls. She found it preposterous that he was now all too willing to abandon her in order to spend time with Paula, and retorted that Leonard "would die without me" when Dr. Sayer suggested that perhaps Leonard didn't need her as much as he used to.

While Leonard was clearly very independent now, she was convinced that her child would not be able to survive without her. Mrs. Lowe's sole purpose in life for years had been to care for her immobilised son - so much so that the caregiver role had become a huge part of her identity, and she could not come to terms with the fact that she was no longer needed in that manner. She was most probably desperately clinging on to the thought that she was the only thing keeping Leonard alive, because she felt that her life would lose its meaning the moment she ceased being Leonard's caregiver.

The nature of Mrs. Lowe's feelings are similar to the empty nest syndrome, which is sometimes experienced by parents and is characterised by feelings of sadness or loss when their child(ren) leave home (Weill Cornell Medical College, 2007). This part of the film was particularly striking to me because I was reminded of my mother, who would sometimes wonder aloud what her life would be like when she's retired and both my brother and I have lives of our own. Although we haven't actually left home for good, she laments the fact that we don't have much time for her as we are usually so busy with our studies. Watching this film has made me realise that perhaps my mother is starting to get a feel of the 'empty nest' and that I should remember to spend more time with her and not get too caught up with my assignments and exams.


Reference
Weill Cornell Medical College. (2007). All grown up and gone for good? Advice on empty-nest syndrome from New York-Presbyterian Hospital Physicians. Retrieved from http://weill.cornell.edu/news/pr/2007/07/all-grown-up-and-gone-for-good-advice-on-empty-nest-syndrome-from-newyork-presbyterian-hospital-phys-1.html