Awake

During heart surgery a man discovers a dangerous fault in anesthesia: his body stays paralyzed while his mind remains fully awake. The minutes stretch into a grueling test as monitors beep, voices murmur, and the patient fights to stay grounded against rising panic. He clings to stray memories and fragments of thought to anchor himself, even as the operating room seems to close in around him. Back home, his wife Sam is swept into a relentless sequence of decisions and private tensions, trying to keep their life intact while new pressures mount from every side. The story shifts between the clinical cold of the hospital and the tense warmth of their home, examining control, fear, and the cost of trying to protect the people you love when danger closes in.

Joby Harold wrote and directed Awake, released in 2007 as his breakout feature. The project originated as an original screenplay and offers a prestige cast with Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, and Terrence Howard leading, supported by Lena Olin and Christopher McDonald. Filming emphasized a clinical yet cinematic style, aiming for a realistic hospital look while keeping the thriller tempo tight across multiple locations.

Critical reaction framed Awake as a confident if conventional medical thriller that leans on performance and atmosphere. Viewers are drawn to the tension between personal loyalty and professional duty, the fragility of memory under stress, and how fear can shape choices when every moment matters. The film favors mood and timing over elaborate plot twists, which some critics found refreshing and others predictable.

With a budget of 86 million, Awake grossed about 14.37 million worldwide, a result that sparked discussion about the market for cerebral thrillers. The numbers are often cited when examining marketing, audience expectations, and the challenge of translating a medical premise into strong box office.