A mysterious event burns all electrical devices on Earth.
More seriously, human beings become unable to fall asleep.
However, the absence of sleep, as we know, causes serious mental disorders (loss of acuity, hallucinations, aggressiveness), before death.
Jill, a former soldier, is ready to do anything to save her two children, including Matilda, who seems to be one of the few people who can still dive into Morpheus' arms ...
Starting from an intriguing postulate, this assumed B series is added to the long line of disaster films that the current pandemic is far from having dried up.
“Awake” compensates for its visible lack of resources with a short format and a certain inventiveness.
Mike Raso, Canadian director from independent cinema, delivers some breathtaking sequence shots, including the attack on the survivors' car by a raging horde.
Her heroine, Jill, far from panicking, on the contrary takes every opportunity to give advice and tips to her daughter, who risks remaining one of the last living human beings on the planet, so that she survives the apocalypse.
And we will note how the fate of the world is about to change because of a pine cone ...
Priority to action, to the detriment of reflection
In the role of tough guy who fights for his offspring, we find Gina Rodriguez, who played the main role in the series "Jane the Virgin".
Here she gives the answer to Jennifer Jason Leigh ("The Eight Bitches") or Frances Fisher (the "Watchmen" series), in roles that would probably have benefited from being further developed.
Because if “Awake” has no problem keeping us awake, it is also at the cost of shortcuts and successive narrative ellipses, priority having clearly been given to action, to the detriment of reflection.
Institutions such as religion or the army are thus attacking their gums full, during scenes bordering on caricature, while the consequences of lack of sleep appear from the first night.
A quick nightmare, right?
EDITOR'S RATING: 3.5 / 5
“Awake”
, American science fiction film by Mike Raso, with Gina Rodriguez, Ariana Greenblatt, Lucius Hoyos… 1h36. On Netflix.