Awakenings (1990)

 

Most people will remember Robin Williams as an excellent comedian, with a lot of energy and a penchant for improvisation. Yet as an actor, Williams did try his hand at more controlled and 'serious' roles, as evidenced by (among a few others) this one. 

Based on a true story, Williams plays against type as a very timid and socially awkwkard doctor who starts a job at an institution where most patients are akin to vegetables. Or at least, that's how they are seen by the majority of people. But because Williams' character has a history in research, he soon finds out that most of these people suffered encephalitis at one point in their lives. He also finds out that there is a synthetic drug that is developed for Alzheimer's and he figures out that this might work on his patients as well.

He selects patient Leonard Lowe (Robert De Niro) as guinea pig (with consent from Leonard's mother) to try if he can bring him back out of the catatonic state he's in. Turns out, a big dosage actually does bring Leonard back and now the hospital tries this on several of these patients, who all come back as if out of a dream. 

But alas, after a while the (then) experimental drug wears off and unfortunately Leonard and the other patients revert to their previous state. But for a brief time, they at least had some semblance of normality again. 

As you can see, it isn't an uplifting film, but it still works fine. Sure, it's great to see the patients recover their former glory, but the downfall near the end seriously dampens that enthusiasm. It's incredibly harsh, but it did happen like this in reality, because as we all know reality isn't a fairytale. Nevertheless, our two leads do a wonderful job. Sure, De Niro got some flack for his portrayal of Leonard, as some dub it too theatrical. To be fair: that never bothered me that much, but then again I don't know anyone who has cerebral palsy or a comparable affliction, so I can't compare. But De Niro does play Leonard like a normal character who just has something that stops him from living a completely normal life. Nothing too schmalzy, it is what it is. 

Williams is excellent in his understated role. He is quiet, a little nervous all the time, yet you can see the character liven up as soon as he is faced with a problem that he can research. It's not really about him, even though he's our main character. This is one of those films that proved that Robin Williams was in fact a very versatile actor, but because he became famous by doing comedy, a lot of people didn't get his more serious roles. Leslie Nielsen is another one of those actors who could pull off a wide range, even if comedy was his 'specialty'. 

'Awakenings' is a very decent film about a tough subject. It is a lot less bleak than, say 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest', but it can still tug the heartstrings. It is in many respects an understated film and one that could do with some renewed appreciation.