The movie is nowhere near a 10/10 perfect movie. A 5 or 6 sounds much more correct. Overall, the movie is so-so. It has an interesting concept, but with no real fleshing out of the idea, it stays as only an interesting concept and never makes the leap to interesting product. The pacing is really slow, the scenes are repetitive and monotonous, and the acting is subpar even for an indie movie. I give the guy credit for trying, he clearly has the drive. What he doesn't have is the skill to pull off a low budget sci-fi movie. Nothing unexpected happens here, you could call out the entire movie's story based solely on the plot description. Needless to say the ending happens, and it is VERY underwhelming. You're left thinking, that's it? I wanted to like it more, low budget cerebral sci-fi can be my faves (primer or donnie darko for example) This however missed the mark, and needed some more time put into the writing to really figure out what to do with this plot. As it is now, they had no idea where to take it. And it really shows. Worth seeing if you're a big fan of the genre, otherwise just skip it...
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lavatch23 January 2021542 Oakwood in Sacramento is the eventual destination of Ben, the protagonist of "Waking." But it also is a stop along the way in a journey into the Twilight Zone.
There was an interesting fantasy structure to the film that included the imagined scenes between Ben and Nadia. Prior to the concluding scene, they only meet on only one occasion and all of the other encounters are in dreams.
There was an interesting set of characters that included two therapists: Jonathan, Ben's prospective father-in-law, and Dr. Hinton, Ben's mother. As the narrative unfolds, Ben is engaged to be married to Jonathan's daughter Amy.
That is, until Amy discovers Ben's text messages to Nadia on his cell phone. When Amy breaks off the engagement and he is fired by Jonathan, Ben sets off from Los Angeles to Sacramento in search of Nadia while on his bicycle!
The filmmakers failed to explore the fantasy dimension of the film. The plot detail about the dog tags suggested that Ben's service in the army ended the moment when his sergeant urged him to get the tags to the woman of Ben's dreams.
Did Ben die in combat? The film's ending was inclusive and included a too much of a "feel good" approach to a film where Ben's next and final stop was 542 Oakwood in a land where no one is ever the same: the Twilight Zone. -
cekadah9 September 2014... and it is not a romantic movie.
What I got out of this story is a young man who is sinking fast into mental illness and self delusion. Ben cannot define when he is awake from when he is asleep. It happens so much in this movie even the viewer falls into this reality vs. not reality trap.
His fiancé even states he becomes insecure after every decision he makes. His mother is a psychotherapist, his fiancé's father is a psychotherapist and Ben studied to be one. Yet he is his worst patient because he believes that Nadia is real - we the viewer are never really told she is real - maybe his first meeting her was just a dream. When Ben is with Nadia the colors change in the setting.
When Ben finally finds Nadia his real self and his dream self are indecipherable by himself and the viewer. Therefore I believe this movie is more about mental illness than romance. -
themartgrp-110 June 2013Like a lot of good idea movies, Waking starts with too much exposition. After some requisite over-explaining the story gathers and we are in their world of fantasy longing. It's a well made film by talented well-meaning people. Naive, yes but they wear it on their sleeve. The premise is that a young man at life's crossroads is "haunted" by a girl he meets once. The question he and we ask is, " is she real?". And, if so, "is she going thru the same thing?" Like a set-piece in the story itself, the film is a long walk to it's natural and charming destination but in some places it feels like it has "hitched a ride" on convention and forces it's semi-preposterous nature to be judged by an audience that was willing to let it slide because, after all, we want to believe!
This kind of film can be much more visual and less talky: see "Upstream Color." This is a kind film made by kind and talented people. If it presented it's story in a more shaded and withheld way, it may have made for an interesting release. As it is, it is a fine first film and kudos for the Actor/Producers for seeing it thru.
It's a tough market out there, for indie films that are meant to be feel-goods. In the right hands, it deserves a run on Cable. Reviewed at Dances With Films, 2013, Hollywood. -
coreyallen16 July 2015Beautifully shot, it's easy to get wrapped up in this story and root for the main character, despite his seemingly delusional flaws.
Some may interpret the lead acting as sub-par, but I thought most came across as natural, helping draw viewers into the experience.
Steve Moulton in the buddy role almost steals the show, he's so good as a comically supportive best friend.
You ultimately feel sorry for his somewhat betrayed fiancée and her father, but like the movie Serendipity, you'll follow Ben down the wormhole.
Not as predictable as one would expect, a surprising delight of a film that's worth the viewing, possibly even a second. -
Through most of this movie I was thinking 4-5 stars, but the bizarre latter part of the movie kicked it up to a 6.
Through most of it, the theme seemed to be a guy who didn't know what he wanted to do with his life, either in career or relationship. He had a finacee, but he was always looking over his shoulder wondering whether the real love of his life was out there, and he was letting his true destiny go by the wayside. He meets a girl who fills that role perfectly; he establishes a relationship with her in his dreams, which allows him to completely fulfill his fantasy of the woman of his dreams, because she exists only in his dreams. Attempting to find her in real life, what's left of his life completely unravels. But then, lo and behold, she proves to be real, and he finds her. And they wind up the prototypical couple who've found true love, neither in a position to sustain the responsibilities of a grown up couple, but love will conquer all.
So the ending is that of a classic love story. And that ending is a perfect fit to the dream story that led up to it, but not the real life story. Thus, the story ends in ambiguity. That made it more intriguing to me.
The premise of the story was a good platform, but, as other reviewers have commented, I think a lot more could have been done with it. But I do think there was enough there for it to be worth watching. -
alejozilva8 November 2015I believe we all would like love to find us, love's supposed to be spontaneous. In fact, real love cannot be planned nor forced. Why would a story like "Waking" wouldn't like any love believer? Well, I didn't! It's precisely considering love like a "dream state", like being high on an alternate reality, what's hindering almost everyone from finding real love. Real love occurs in real life! Believing on stories like Waking makes us expectant: "love will find us". Being expectant for love to find us equals seeking in every person the magical sign he/she is our "soul mate", the "one". Of course, every one of us has prejudices about love, about how that soul mate should be. This means not everyone fits the mental script of our ideal love story, so Nadia couldn't have been played by an ugly old lady.
This film is the perfect example of the kind of stuff people should not learn from Hollywood. I know they just reflect what's on our collective unconscious, but they help reinforce those concepts about love and relationships. So how many people keep expecting love to find them, even after being engaged with a real person? How many after being married? What is mainly wrong in the story is not that Ben falls in love with the girl in the park (or in his dreams) while engaged with Amy, but the fact he is in a relationship with someone he doesn't love profoundly. Was he with Amy because he was interested in inheriting her father's practice? Did he have other motives other than love for her? That's just a perfect scenario for disaster and Amy could've notice it on Ben's lack of enthusiasm.
The film reminded me of "Eternal sunshine of a spotless mind" but inverted. Instead of being two lovers who defend their love against each other's selfishness, Waking is the story of a man without the courage to tell his girlfriend he's not in love with her (was he ever?), he's just keeping a relationship for economic interests and then he follows a dream girl without any consideration for his fiancée, his father in law and his career. How many men are out there ready to leave everything behind for a dream girl? Ben character is pathetic! So, no, I didn't like the film. I just couldn't dive into the story; I couldn't see myself being Ben, I couldn't feel empathy for Amy or Nadia. Why would a nice girl like Nadia play such vulnerable girl? Too many details just don't fit. -
rossmarquand5 December 2013I came into the theatre not having any prior knowledge of what Waking was about, other than hearing it was a romantic comedy. That genre usually sends me running for the door but this one was a pleasant surprise. The writing is smart and funny, the acting & directing is honest and believable. There are the usual rom-com elements but it's all unveiled through a very unique perspective, reminiscent of some of Spike Jonze's work. Tackling issues like abandonment, the futility of finding true love, and childhood expectations, you'd think it would be somewhat depressing but I found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable film from start to finish.
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nealewright-1041027 March 2015This looked like it was going to be a great movie. But that was before Ben became the ultimate loser. This movie was also crammed full of cinematic clichés.
Warning... potential spoiler alert (depends how anal you are)!!
For example, every time Ben tried to confess to someone they walked all over him and he never got a word in. Another example... the five minute confession to the mechanic because he was feeling guilty. Or being an idiot and getting punched in the gut by the angry boyfriend because he was a stupid loser!
Seriously, making Ben a little more intelligent (how the heck did he become a psychologist anyhow?) and making the least effort at serious adult dialog between him and his - well, everybody - would have made this an 8 or better.
You think i'm being harsh now... my wife was telling me to calm down 3/4 of the way through the movie so she could hear the dialog.
I wanted to like this move... I really did. -
MRK975 December 2013I caught this film at the Phoenix Film Festival and really, REALLY loved the idea. What you would do if you met a person in real life and then kept having dreams about them and they were having the same dream about you. The idea of carrying on this whole other life with someone while you're asleep, night after night. It's all at once intriguing, fun, scary, sad and complicated. And "Waking" does a great job of capturing all those feelings of this amazing what-if experience. The film looks beautiful and all the actors do a really wonderful job. And as a "Daly Show" fan, it was nice to see Tim and Sam Daly pop up in there. :) Definitely a recommend.
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astroradioband2 April 2014Is a fantastic story of love, it teaches us that there is a connection entirely by love of dreams and how to achieve what you love in reality. breaking the barriers of system in this world ... just to love .. reminds me of my wife and what Jesus did for me. for me it is a brilliant film observe her ... repeat... is not a dream! :P Is a fantastic story of love, it teaches us that there is a connection entirely by love of dreams and how to achieve what you love in reality. breaking the barriers of system in this world ... just to love .. reminds me of my wife and what Jesus did for me. for me it is a brilliant film observe her
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vickyt_291120 October 2014The film was based around a very unique and exciting storyline which encouraged you to think beyond the normal boundaries of reality and imagine the impossible.
This is the idea that you can meet people in your dreams.
The concept of your sole mate being out there somewhere whether that is in your dreams or beyond is very endearing.
The fact that the individuals met when he already had a fiancée added an extra moral standing to the film.
The film is well wrote and directed.
Well worth a watch!!