Waking Madison

When I first heard about Waking Madison, I was skeptical. I knew it was related to mental illness and what is or isn't considered reality. I expected a really "out there" film, one that I would struggle to understand. What ended up being my reality was quite a surprise. As someone that works in the mental health field with people dealing with trauma, I was captivated by the characters and the story line. What I thought was taking place, ended up being a twist which to me makes a film great. This is the writer and producer's story. It is a story of torment as the young woman searches for help. It is a story of resilience and hope. I believe there are parts that live inside of each of us that can be destructive, but there are parts that can strengthen us as well. I would recommend that anyone that sees Waking Madison watch the entire film to see the outcome that is unexpected. The actors were phenomenal as well as the location and art. As I believe, also, there is beauty in the darkness. Out of the darkness in this story, comes the light of life.

Everything about this film is simply exquisite. Katherine has done a brilliant job of addressing the delicate and not so talked about topic of mental illness in a way that takes you on a beautiful journey of self discovery. There are a lot of films about mental illness, many try to address the topic...and those just brush the surface. None even compare to this movie. There were so many things that I loved about this film, the storyline, the shots are stunning, the acting is truthful, raw and very real. I haven't seen a film this good in a very long time, it was refreshing to see and visually compelling as well. A definite must see!

Here is a small taste of what you can find posted on the director/writer's FB page (Kathern Brooks): "Hello Everyone. We Need your help. Could You Guys Make Your Vote at IMDb A 6 and also make sure to vote one-point above for another 10 movies (if the movie is 6.0, rate it 5 or 7)? This Way, Your Votes Will matter A LOT for the movie and hopefully IMDb will start giving us a rating better than 4.8. THANK YOU!! xoxox ... if you write a review on Amazon, Netflix or IMDb you will get a signed poster from Katherine Brooks!" And here is a message to people who haven't even watched it: "If You Haven't seen the movie but are waiting to see it, please give us a positive rating on IMDb, Amazon or Netflix, and when you do, say "done" here. Thank You! xoxox" This definitely explains all the phony reviews here and on other sites. I found this film extremely dull and I do not recommend it. This is just a truly bad story with trite characters (good looking, but TRITE). I hope this gets published so the public can get an honest idea of these reviews and get a clue that not everyone liked it. Also, if you saw Loving Annabelle or came across a review for this on some lesbian sites and are expecting a lesbian-themed movie here, don't. This is not a romance and this is not erotica. This is not a story about lesbians. My one star is dedicated to the presence of Elizabeth Shue who was not only gorgeous to look at, but the best actor in this film. I would also like to dedicate one invisible star to Erin Kelly who appeared a bit, but was not captured as the intriguing character we saw in Loving Annabelle. Now that's just bad, bad directing this time around... because she is capable of being one fascinating and stunning creature. Bless you Elizabeth Shue for making an appearance... you should have been the teacher in Loving Annabelle...

I feel bad that the average rating for this movie is less than half because I believe there were less than 20 reviews, and a couple of people who praised it gave it no rating. I'll try to bring it up with this review.

Others have basically given the narrative so I'll skip that. I'll mention that Shue, Roemer, and the supporting cast gave good, if not very good performances. Some characterizations were stereotypical of mental illness, and I might question using the multiple personality theme to get across the idea of someone's struggle with comparative general mental illness that might be slightly hackneyed and misplaced. (but essential to the plot).

That being said, I think Brooks did a tour de force job with conveying the inner workings of mental illness. Everything in the movie felt and breathed it. She was spot on with the isolation, confusion, and frustration. She showed what mental illness can do to a person leaving out only some details and development that wouldn't have necessarily extended meaning to the narrative, and would have made it painfully long.

This movie is a must see for anyone interested in knowing what mental illness is like from within, and hopefully providing hope to those who suffer from this debilitating disease. I also hope that more people come to understand the reality of how misunderstood and stigmatized mental illness can be, and as a result that more people are helped.

I rate this movie a solid 7 for the story/acting, and a 9 for direction/production value, averaging 8 overall.

It's a must see movie, i found it to be intense and all the actors where amazing, i bought the movie and have watched it like a thousand times. Katherine Brooks is an amazing writer and director. When i first saw the movie i had to really had to pay attention to understand what this your girl was going though and i do have to say people that have these multipul disorders it has to be hard for them not to live like that. i thought that Sarah Roemer, Elisabth Shue and Erin Kelly were amazing how they kept the roles connected to one another, i'm sure thats not an easy thing to do but having a director like Katherine Brooks to help them out made it a little easier with there roles.