The movie that I watched in class is called "Awakenings". This movie takes place in the Bronx, New York, 1969. And is based on a true story about a neurologist (Robin Williams) trying to find a cure for a rare disease found in the 1920's called encephalitis, which makes you unable to move, kind of like a statue. Doctor Sayer (Williams) gets permission from one of the patients mother to use a risky drug called "L-Dopa." The doctor thought he was crazy because that drug is normally used for people with Parkinson's disease but it actually worked. The patient, Leonard (Robert De Niro) made (what it seemed to be) a full recovery. So they got more of that drug and used it on all of the patients with encephalitis. All of the patients woke up, and were having a great time laughing and joking, and Leonard was trying to lead a regular life again.
But just as Leonard started getting used to life again, he started stuttering and twitching. Then Leonard requested if he could walk outside by himself. The hospital rejected his idea and he got mad and tried to escape, but the security guard got him and took him into a jail kind of room until he cooled down. Slowly things got worse for Leonard, and all the other patients too. Leonard tried to fight off the virus in him, but it was too powerful. Eventually it took over him and he was just like a statue all over again. Dr. Sayer felt very bad because Leonard was his friend, but you know that Dr. Sayer would keep on trying to find a cure for the disease. The film ends with Dr. Sayer and a nurse getting coffee, and the movie tells you that Dr. Sayer is still trying to find a cure today. .
When I saw the movie I felt bad for all of the patients who returned to their normal state. But one patient I didn't feel too bad for. Because he had no friends or family, and he told Doctor Sayer "I feel old and swindled.
