Awakenings (1990)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A dedicated physician discovers a drug that can 'awaken' patients from decades of catatonic states.
The story
In 1969, Dr. Malcolm Sayer, a dedicated physician in the Bronx, works with catatonic patients who survived an encephalitis lethargica epidemic. He discovers that various stimuli can awaken these patients from their states. When he learns of the success of L-DOPA for Parkinson's disease, he believes it could offer a breakthrough for his patients. A trial with Leonard Lowe, a man who has been unresponsive for decades, yields astounding results, leading Sayer to seek funding to provide the medication to all his patients, offering them a chance to experience a new awakening to reality and the present.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1969, Dr. Malcolm Sayer works with catatonic patients in the Bronx who survived an encephalitis lethargica epidemic. He discovers that stimuli like music and touch can awaken them. After a successful trial with the drug L-DOPA on patient Leonard Lowe, Sayer secures funding to treat all his patients. While Leonard initially thrives and begins to adjust to his new life—even forming a bond with a woman named Paula—his condition begins to deteriorate, resulting in painful physical tics and spasms. Despite his declining health, Leonard remains resolute and asks to be filmed for research. Eventually, the effects of the drug on all patients become temporary, and they return to catatonic states. However, Sayer concludes that while the physical awakenings were fleeting, the patients experienced a deeper awakening of their spirits. Sayer also overcomes his personal shyness, and the hospital staff begins to treat the patients with more empathy.
- First release year
- 1990
- Runtime (minutes)
- 121
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Penny Marshall
- Writers
- Steven Zaillian · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Robert De Niro · Leonard Lowe; Robin Williams · Dr. Malcolm Sayer; John Heard · Dr. Kaufman; Julie Kavner · Eleanor Costello; Penelope Ann Miller · Paula; Max von Sydow · Dr. Peter Ingham
- Genres
- biographical; drama
- Themes
- medical ethics; human connection; resilience
- Tone and mood
- melodramatic; poignant
- Setting
- New York City, Bronx, 1969
- Premise and plot tags
- medical; historical; biographical
- Source material / true-story basis
- Oliver Sacks's 1973 nonfiction memoir, Awakenings
- Reception
- Awakenings was a critical and commercial success, receiving positive reviews from critics and earning $108.7 million on a $29 million budget.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 81% · scale: percentage · review count: 37
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Actor · Nominated; Golden Globe Award · Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama · Nominated
- Production trivia
- Actual patients were used in the filming of the movie.; The film was based on a 1973 nonfiction memoir by Oliver Sacks.; The film was produced by Walter Parkes and Lawrence Lasker, who first encountered Sacks's book as undergraduates at Yale University.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…