Change Your Image
bjgoldish
Reviews
Awakenings (1990)
The film alerted me to the diagnosis of a real patient.
I am a retired internist. Several years ago, doing consultative volunteer work in another country, I saw an elderly man who lay immobile and rigid in bed, unable to speak, choking on secretions which he could not swallow and which could not be cleared adequately by suction. He had pneumonia and was critically ill despite antibiotic and supportive treatment. He'd been immobile for a long time and his doctor's presumptive diagnosis was some sort of dementia. I had never seen this condition before, with total body rigidity, but I had seen "Awakenings" and my memory of the remarkable portrayal prompted me to suggest to his physician that he give a trial of anti-Parkinson's medication, which he did.
The next day I was stunned on entering the patient's room to find him propped up and smiling alertly. He said "Good morning, doctor," as I recall, and was able to overcome his pneumonia, able to eat, to converse, and to be helped easily to move.
Unfortunately, after about a week or so, as I recall, his locked-in syndrome relapsed despite medication. However, the movie had helped me to make the proper diagnosis and to bring at least some brief comfort into a desperately ill person's life.
DiNiro's portrayal was absolutely outstanding. Williams also was superb, as usual. And kudos also to the perceptive doctor who was the inspiration for the story, as well as to the entire wonderful production.
Trempistim (1998)
Authentic in many ways, and beautifully acted and directed.
Reflects dramatically the melting pot, nay, pressure cooker atmosphere in Israel. It was filmed beautifully, apparently all on location.
Cultural variations in this tiny country were well displayed. Casting and characterizations were excellent, translations in the subtitles were excellent, and the actions were all believable. Although this film is about three years old, situations and attitudes depicted in it still exist.