AWAKE
Year: 2007
USA: The Weinstein Company / MGM Distribution
UK: Icon Film Distribution
Cast: Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Lena Olin, Terrence Howard, Charlie Hewson, Steven Hinkle, Sam Robarts, Jennifer Pedersen, Christopher Maggi, Christopher McDonald, Thomas A McMahon. Poorna Jagannathan
Director: Joby Harold
Country: USA
USA & UK: 84 mins
USA Rated: R for language, an intense disturbing situation, and brief drug use
UK Certificate: 15 contains strong language, psychological horror and images of surgery
USA Release Date: 30 November 2007
UK Release Date: 4 April 2008
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Synopsis
AWAKE is a psychological thriller starring Hayden Christensen as Clayton, a young man who seems to have it all - a gorgeous fiancee named Samantha Lockwood (Jessica Alba), an adoring mother Lilith (Lena Olin), a thriving business and all the money a young man could ever want...except he desperately needs of a heart transplant.
Annoyed when his mother won't accept his fiancee, Clay hurriedly marries Sam and that night his beeper goes off. This can only mean one thing - they found Clay a matching heart donor with his rare blood-type.
Clay nervously prepares for surgery, while Sam tries to calm him. But then anaesthesiologist Dr Larry Lupin (Christopher McDonald) arrives late, explaining that he had been at a wine tasting. Despite concern they decide to proceed with the operation and Clay slips under after he is injected.
At this point, Clay realizes that he can still hear the doctors, then when he feels their fingers on his body, he knows he's in serious trouble. Clay is a victim of a common occurrence called "anaesthetic awareness" where the anaesthesia leaves the patient horrifyingly fully conscious but physically paralyzed during surgery.
Suspended in this nightmare, Clay begins to realize that he was never meant to wake up from this operation. Through several more revelations, Clay's heart line reappears on the monitor. Was all of this a dream brought on by the anaesthesia? Or did everything Clay hear actually happen? No matter the circumstances, he opens his eyes. He is awake.
