Awakenings
A compassionate Bronx doctor races to revive catatonic epidemic survivors using sensory triggers and an experimental drug, only to confront a mysterious patient who communicates through a Ouija board, risking his career and sanity to unlock the cure.
“There is no such thing as a simple miracle.”
Synopsis
Dr. Malcolm Sayer, a reserved research physician, administers an experimental drug to awaken patients suffering from a rare, catatonic condition. Leonard is the first to receive this controversial treatment. His awakening, marked by wonder and excitement, becomes a transformative experience for Sayer as well, as Leonard's enthusiasm introduces the reclusive doctor to the simple yet profound joys of life.
Credits
Related titles
No curated related titles yet. Use the edit affordance to add "More from this director", "Same franchise", or "Adaptation source material" entries — every change goes through the wiki review queue.
How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 259+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Battle DavisShot by Miroslav OndricekScored by Randy NewmanDesigned by Anton FurstSound by Gary C BourgeoisCostumes by George Potts
Box Office
1990 · Box office
⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 1.7× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$52.1M
Opening weekend: $608K — 1% of its US run. It had legs — it kept earning long after opening weekend.
Opening week (7-day): $608K — 1% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 12 theaters
Full synopsis
Also known as
- Zeit des Erwachensde
- Despertareses
- L'Éveilfr
- Risvegliit
- (Bulgarian)Пробуждане
Release dates around the world2 countries · showhide
- United StatesDec 12, 1990
- PolandDec 31, 1990
Companies
Community tags
Be the first to tag this page — tags appear right away. Try a theme, capability, or subject (e.g. WWII, heist, slow burn, time travel, A24).
Cast & Crew
259 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Supporting cast
59Laura Esterman
as Lolly
Dexter Gordon
as Rolando
Jayne Haynes
as Frances
Le Clanche Du Rand
as Magda
Yusef Bulos
as Joseph
Steven Randazzo
as Luis
Gloria Harper
as Dottie
Gwyllum Evans
as Desmond
Mary Catherine Wright
as Nurse Beth
Mary Alice
as Nurse Margaret
Keith Diamond
as Anthony
Steve Vinovich
as Ray
Tiger Haynes
as Janitor
John Christopher Jones
as Dr. Sullivan
Bradley Whitford
as Dr. Tyler
Max Von Sydow
as Dr. Peter Ingham
Harvey Miller
as Hospital Director
Tanya Berezin
as Psychiatrist
Peter Stormare
as Neurochemist
Shane Fistell
as Man in Hall
Waheedah Ahmad
as Hysterical Woman
Charles Keating
as Mr. Kean
Christina Huertes
as Christina
Linda Burns
as Fishsticks
Judy Jacksina
as Hospital Receptionist
Gary Tacon
as George, Security Guard
Rico Elias
as Orderly #1
Mel Gorham
as Nurse Sara
Chris Carolan
as EEG Technician
Debra Kovner Zaks
as Cafeteria Nurse
Max Rabinowitz
as Ward #5 Orderly
Gordon Joseph Weiss
as Ward #5 Patient
Byron Utley
as Ward #5 Patient #2
Anthony Mcgowen
as Ward #5 Patient #3
Paul Montgomery
as Ward #5 Patient #4
Leonard Tepper
as Ward #5 Patient #5
Vincent Pastore
as Ward #5 Patient #6
Howard Feller
as Ward #5 Patient #7
Libby Titus
as Club Singer
Michael Hyde
as Bus Driver
Tomislav Novakovic
as Bartender
Adam Bryant
as Librarian
Anthony J Nici
as Young Leonard
Oliver Block
as Leonard's Friend #1
Buck Smith
as Leonard's Friend #2
Joan E Macintosh
as Teacher
Harry L Seddon
as Medical Student
Steven Chase
as Patient
Vin Diesel
as Hospital Orderly
Heather Rose Dominic
as Neighborhood Girl
Tom Farrell
as Patient on Film
Jason W Fuchs
as PotHeadHippie
Michael Hurley
as Orderly
Doris Mccarthy
as Secretary in Board Room
James Medina
Jack Mulcahy
as Intern on Psych Ward
Sherry Pagan
as Mother in Subway
Jan Saint
as Man Hit with Ball
Ruth Leon Weiman
as Nurse
Directors
1Writers
2Producers
6Other crew
186Judie Fixler
additional casting
Ronna Kress
additional casting
Todd Thaler
additional casting (as Todd M. Thaler)
Jere Huggins
additional film editor
Scot A Nederman Paul
additional loader (as Scott Nederman)
Joe Dorn
adr editor
Ernie Karpeles
animal handler (uncredited)
Oliver Rohrbeck
Anthony
Cynthia Kimoto
apprentice film editor
Howard Spiro
apprentice film editor
Nancy Novack
apprentice film editor (as Nancy I. Novak)
Matthew Running Water Mcfadden
archival specialist (uncredited)
Parents Guide
AI Personalities
Advisory Bot AI
I keep the family-safety picture honest — community advisories, AI-moderated, summarized without spin.
Ratings & reviews
Official ratings
Members who rated this
1in 1 collection
We’re attempting to crowdsource this data.
Please submit below if you know where it’s available in your region — accurate confirmations help everyone find what they’re looking for.
Where to watch
Live · bot-verified- Paramount+Stream
Gallery
Add imageNo community images for Awakenings yet
Add a still, a storyboard, or concept art — every image gets its own page where members can discuss it.
Trailers
No trailers logged for Awakenings yet — add the first one below.
Spot a trailer we’re missing?
Add a trailer from any film, show, or game.
Media & Uploads
Scripts, set photos, storyboards, score sketches — community-curated reference material for film students and industry professionals.
Did you or a loved one work on Awakenings?
Every stage matters — pitch decks and treatments from development, location scouts and table-reads from pre-production, set photos and crew anecdotes from production, edit-bay notes from post, and press kits, festival memories, or marketing ephemera from distribution. Any moment that didn't make the press tour, any document or photograph that's been sitting in a box — please share it so it's not lost to time.
We particularly welcome contributions from writers, producers, cast, crew, festival programmers, distributors, marketing teams, their families, and anyone who was there at any stage.
Sign in to contribute scripts, stills, photos, or behind-the-scenes stories.
Be the first to share something on Awakenings.
Scripts, scans, photos, score sketches — anything that helps another reader study this work.
Memorable quotes
Browse all →No quotes logged for Awakenings yet — add the first memorable line below.
Got a quote we’re missing?
Submit a line from any film, show, or game.
The conversation
Loading the conversation…
Comments (0)
on AwakeningsNo comments yet. Be the first to share what you think.
Edit history
Loading edit history…