Movie Reflection - Awakenings

Based on a true story of British neurologist Oliver Sacks, this movie has given society a glimpse of mental health illness and some inspirational insights on human behaviour. Awakenings demonstrates the severe cases of Catatonia, and how Oliver Sacks discovers a beneficial drug that awakes patients who suffer from catatonic for decades. Hence, it gives us a better understanding of this illness as Catatonia is not widely known and seen in our community. Catatonia is a neurological illness that causes motor immobility. Research¹ has found that this illness is often common in hospital but usually under-recognized as the symptoms are similar with Parkinson’s Disease (slow motor movements, tremor, rigid muscles). However, the causes of both Catatonia and Parkinson are different². Under DSM-V, catatonia is not classified as an individual disorder but rather as a state associated with other mental illness as it often found comorbid with Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia. The classification as one of the subtype of schizophrenia previously in DSM-IV has been removed, and added a new category – Unspecified Catatonia. This improved classification of Catatonia has made it easier to diagnose and treat. 

Robert DeNiro as a Catatonic Patient

Added Categories of Catatonic in DSM-V

DSM-V:  http://psy-gradaran.narod.ru/lib/clinical/DSM5.pdf

The characteristics of Dr Sayer can be seen from the movie is that Dr Sayer is a very persistent and courageous person.  Despite of all the criticism and put down from his other colleagues, he never gave up his hypothesis of the catatonic patients and believes that there is a way to treat the patients. Even when his request of asking higher dosage of medicine is rejected, he is willing to take risk and sneak out the medicine to try on a patient. His persistence and courage have never let any obstacles block his way.

Robin Williams as Dr Sayer

According to Henry Murray theory of needs, we can say that Dr Sayer is high in need of achievement and low in need of affiliation. Dr Sayer is internally motivated by the success of treating patients rather than social recognition. He placed more importance on learning about the patients’ condition and how other medicine works. Adding with his low need of affiliation at the beginning, his behaviour of questioning and challenging other doctors can be understood.

Throughout the whole movie, we can see the personality change in Dr Sayer. At the beginning, Dr Sayer is more introverted. He doesn’t not have much friends and he is more comfortable being alone. However, towards the end, we can see Dr Sayer overcomes his social awkwardness and is more willing to interact with others. This is because the awakenings of the catatonic patients had taught him that human touch is so important to a person. He learned that close relationships with friends or family sometimes can help one go through any hardships. He soon realized the need for affiliation exists in every human being even for him who preferred to be left alone.

Another huge behavioural change that can be seen in the movie is the way how the staffs in the hospital treat the patients. At the beginning most of the nurses and doctors were not giving their best in work. They prefer watching television than helping, and the unwillingness is shown when they are forced to read to the catatonic patients. However, after the awakening, we can see that the staff are more united and treated the patients with full heart. They remember the patients’ likings and personality and treat them differently than before when the catatonic strikes back. This is mainly because that the awakenings of the catatonic patients acted as a hope in all the staff. Research^3,4 has found that hope has a direct impact on employees’ work behaviour. When there is hope within the employees towards their work, their job performance, organizational commitment, job satisfaction and work happiness will increase.  

The most inspiring part of the movie is when Leonard (the first awaken catatonic patient) fights to be discharge from the hospital as the institute has kept him from doing anything he wishes to. He told the doctors that the simplest thing in life like taking a walk could have mean so much to him when all of us take it for granted. Explaining through an existential approach, this act of Leonard is not only striving for freedom but also his search of meaning in life. Existentialists believe that human’s self-awareness enable us to realize that we have the freedom of choice and meaning of life must be seek by self as we are all responsible for the choices we make that direct our life. Hence, to Leonard, this freedom signifies that he can also have the choice to make a difference or establish meaningful relationship, as to create an identity, sense of self and life’s worth. 

In the movie there is a conversation between Dr Sayer and Nurse Eleanor, as below

This is a very true statement from Nurse Eleanor. Just as existential approach explained, we eventually have to realize that time is limited but we are infinite. Our potential, will, actions are all decision we make that lead our life. Although we do not have a choice to choose when to be born and when to die, we do have a choice in making our life meaningful. 

Awakenings reminded all of us that we are often caught up with the negatives in life, we forget what it is to be alive. When we take our normal daily routine as granted, people with catatonic or other unfortunates are fighting just to brush their teeth, read the papers and other normal things. We are very blessed to be able to live as healthy individuals and the negatives in life shouldn’t be an excuse as to condemn ourselves. We need to understand that sometimes happiness and the feeling of being alive come from the simplest thing like breathing fresh air, writing, singing and maybe just plain walking. Yet, the best part of life will always be being loved by our friends and family.  

References

1. Bhati, M. T., Datto, C. J., & O’Reardon, J. P. (2007). Clinical Manifestations, Diagnosis, and Empirical Treatments for Catatonia. Psychiatry (Edgmont),4(3), 46–52.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2922358/

2. Northoff, G. (2002). What Catatonia Can Tell Us About “Top Down Modulation” A Neuropsychiatric Hypothesis. Behavioural and Brain Science, 25(5), 555-604. https://www.georgnorthoff.com/s/what-catatonia-can-tell-us-about-top-down-modulation-a-neuropsychiatric-hypothesis.pdf

3. Younsef, C. M, & Luthans, F. (2007). Positive Organizational Behavior in the Workplace: The Impact of Hope, Optimism, and Resilience. Journal of Management, 33(5), 774-800.

http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1035&context=managementfacpub

4. Malik, A. (2013). Efficacy, Hope, Optimism and Resilience at Workplace – Positive Organizational Behavior. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 3(10), 1-4.

http://www.ijsrp.org/research-paper-1013/ijsrp-p2274.pdf

 *All pictures and gifs do not belong to me and can be found in google images. 

Movie Reflection – Cinema Paradiso

This classic 1988 movie brings us back to the olden days in a rural Italian town through a famous filmmaker's childhood memories. In this movie, we can see how important passion and a few close relationships can shape one person, as well as the influence of film development to the society. 

As this movie is set up on the years after World War II, we can see how little entertainment people used to have. In the town of the village, there stood an one and only cinema called Cinema Paradiso, which gathered all the villagers together to watch the movies played. It is very different from the cinema we have in the 21st centuries. Movies played has to be generated and guarded by a projectionist all the time to make sure it doesn't catch on fire due to the heat of the machine and also the clarity of the movie. The projectionist also had to cut of the film tape himself for censorship. These are so different compared to the ones we are having now which are all computerized. Not only so, we can see how this one and only entertainment brings the whole community together. They had a shared emotions between them that make them a whole when they watch movie. They laughed together, cried together, shared tissues, popcorn, cigarettes with everyone.This can hardly be seen in the modern society especially sharing our own belongings. As the movie goes along, it shows how film slowly develops and people no longer need a cinema due to the commercialize of televisions. 

This movie portrays 3 important relationships of the protagonist (Toto): Toto & Alfredo (old projectionist in town), Toto & Elena (first girlfriend), Toto & Mother.   

As this movie evolved through Toto and Alfredo, we can clearly see how Toto and Alfredo has a special relationship. At first, Alfredo was scolding Toto all the time because he is always in the cinema sneaking around. But slowly, we can see Alfredo helped Toto when he lost his money and how he taught Toto about everything of being a projectionist. As since Alfredo does not have any children and Toto lost his father at a very young age, Alfredo views Toto as his own son and gives him any advice and suggestions when he needs. we can explain this behavior through Erik Erikson's psychosocial development theory. In this case, Alfredo is at the seventh stage, Generativity vs Stagnation. Through his contribution to the next generation (Toto), Alfredo has successfully passed this stage achieving the virtue of care, which is demonstrated in the movie. 

According to Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love, Toto and Elena's relationship can be labeled as romantic love, which consists passion and intimacy. As Toto and Elena were at their young adult stages, they both have a strong sexual passion which physically drawn them together. Furthermore, their high in emotional intimacy can be seen when they tell each other everything even when the truth hurts (eg. Elena's father wants to marry her off to someone from the same social class). However, despite how much they enjoy each other companions and love, they do not have serious commitment between each other which is also why they broke up later on. 

Lastly, one of the most touching relationship in the movie is Toto and his mother. As shown on the beginning of the movie, although Toto has not been home for 30 years, his mother still tries her best to reach Toto to tell him that Alfredo has passed away. She never mind how Toto left her and his sister alone in the village. In the end, she even told Toto that she was never angry of him and always supports and understands his situation knowing Rome is the best for him and he needs to cut ties in the village in order to develop a better future. Despite what Toto did, she never withdrawn her love and would always care for her son and make sure he is safe. This shows that Toto's mother has an unconditional positive regard towards Toto which she accepts and loves him for who he is.

*All pictures are found in google images and none of them belongs to me