The most interesting character of "Awake" is the nurse named Diana, who believes in the innocence of a man brought into the hospital after a serious car crash. The man is identified as "John Doe" because he has suffered from memory loss after the crash. Also, we know that the auto wreck was not an accident, as he was intentional pushed off the road by another driver intent on killing him.
While Diana does not have the background on the car wreck, she does sense the decency in John Doe, after he was accused of being a serial killer. When he tells her that "I didn't do it because I couldn't," she recognizes that those were the exact words of her father, who was falsely accused of murder. Now, she seeks redemption in helping John Doe to recover his memory and prove his innocence.
"El Dia de los Muertos" (The Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and is associated with the marigold as its ceremonial flower. The marigold is the calling card of the serial killer in his dance of death. If the flower can be traced to someone other than John Doe, the perpetrator who has murdered five women in Texas may be brought to justice.
There is only one moment in the film that did not ring true. This was the scene where Diana's best friend Tom is killed. She arrives to find John Doe in the garage with her deceased friend Tom and immediately concludes that he is the killer. After her unfailing support of him, she is at this moment uncharacteristically unfaithful and races out of the garage just before the real killer tries to garrote John Doe.
Apart from this major lapse, the film was well-scripted with good suspense and solid character developments, including the hardboiled detective, the local police officer, and the cop's son Oliver, a loner and baseball player. But the most memorable character was Diana, who was well played by Clint Eastwood's daughter Francesca. Diana was playing the guardian angel to John Doe, but she was also seeking absolution herself. The arrival of John Doe in her hospital was destiny foreseen, and she faithfully answered her calling.
While Diana does not have the background on the car wreck, she does sense the decency in John Doe, after he was accused of being a serial killer. When he tells her that "I didn't do it because I couldn't," she recognizes that those were the exact words of her father, who was falsely accused of murder. Now, she seeks redemption in helping John Doe to recover his memory and prove his innocence.
"El Dia de los Muertos" (The Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and is associated with the marigold as its ceremonial flower. The marigold is the calling card of the serial killer in his dance of death. If the flower can be traced to someone other than John Doe, the perpetrator who has murdered five women in Texas may be brought to justice.
There is only one moment in the film that did not ring true. This was the scene where Diana's best friend Tom is killed. She arrives to find John Doe in the garage with her deceased friend Tom and immediately concludes that he is the killer. After her unfailing support of him, she is at this moment uncharacteristically unfaithful and races out of the garage just before the real killer tries to garrote John Doe.
Apart from this major lapse, the film was well-scripted with good suspense and solid character developments, including the hardboiled detective, the local police officer, and the cop's son Oliver, a loner and baseball player. But the most memorable character was Diana, who was well played by Clint Eastwood's daughter Francesca. Diana was playing the guardian angel to John Doe, but she was also seeking absolution herself. The arrival of John Doe in her hospital was destiny foreseen, and she faithfully answered her calling.