Dreams Awake

This film is absolutely wonderful! But I have to admit I had to watch it several times to 'get it'.

There seems to be magic at work here, because this movie is not what it may seem on the surface. I got subtle new messages each time I watched it.

I read with interest some of the other reviews and while I am not accustomed to critiquing others it seems they did not quite 'get it.' Which I can understand since it took me several viewings (4 I believe) to feel like I was understanding what it was really trying to say.

And yes it certainly does not fall into the normal type of spiritual or new age films that people now call "spiritual cinema." Which makes it special. In fact I'd call it an original.

Definitely you must check this movie out! Especially if you want to go beyond the surface of other spiritual films.

This is a very well done movie that takes a very sensitive and personal spiritual part of one's life and delicately puts a spotlight on it without overdoing it. I enjoyed every minute of it and the cinematography and acting was very well done. I loved the scenery of beautiful Mt Shasta along with an excellent musical score.

It is a film that although not a masterpiece, has messages within it that are revealed more each time I watch it. I highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to see a change in today's movies especially in the spiritual genre of cinema or who just want to see positive movies for a change. It does however have places that left me a little wondering where it was fully taking me. But nonetheless - an enjoyable good film.

Obviously it is hard to create an uplifting film that shows the spiritual walk and delicate struggles in a woman's life without being preachy or explaining to the viewer what is being displayed and why the character feels a certain way in the scope of things in the spiritual arena of life. Dreams Awake manages to avoid that approach and lets us imagine it ourselves within ourselves (with some expected help along the way). Some viewers will completely miss the message by looking for an immediate dazzling of the senses or explanations of the events taking place. It is not preachy or spoon-fed in predetermined bite sized portions to keep us along, but it continues at speed by keeping us open to the imagination of its possibilities. Those who get the movie will understand what I mean as explained by the older, wiser character in the film.

In summary I suppose what most will find is that the answers require us to look within and not always keep us directed to what we are supposed to see or to by having someone stop and explain the phenomena around us. Some may not fully grasp that at first but hopefully come to realize it's not so bad to take a look inside at who we really are. In fact it's an initial step that is always necessary in any spiritual walk or belief system. I got it and maybe wished there was a little more when I first saw it. After seeing it more than once though I discovered there is in fact a lot more.

I absolutely love this movie. I wish there were more films with a positive spiritual message such as this. It starts out a little slow but once you get into it you get hooked. The scenery is magnificent and the soundtrack is great. I have not seen Erin Gray in a performance in quite awhile. The entire cast did very good job with their parts. Especially Tim O'Connor as the old mysterious sage of the mountain. The inner child message really hit home with me. From my own personal experiences it made so much sense and I believe it will with other people. The movie also gave me some hope about dealing with this deep issue. I don't want to give the movie away but Erin Gray was very believable during the climactic scene. When I first saw this movie I didn't realize there were so many layers involved in it. The more I watched it though, the more I understood these layers. I think that those who don't understand this, maybe have either not given it a chance or are not in touch with their inner selves as much. I recommend this movie for all ages and hope to see more positive movies with a good message in the future.

I really enjoyed this film. It is gratifying to see a film-maker exploring matters of religion, faith and spirituality. I found the plot both moving and inspirational and the religious theme particularly thought-provoking, even if I did not agree with some of its sentiments, as a dysfunctional middle-class American family finds itself on an unexpected spiritual journey on the slopes of Mount Shasta. The location provides a spectacular physical backdrop to the action, which the film fully exploits. All the cast provide impressive performances, but Erin Gray, in particular, delivers a particularly powerful one as the family's mother in her particular journey of self-awareness. I have no hesitation in recommending this film to others.

I was really surprised at the message in this movie. In this day of so much negative energy in the movies it is so refreshing to see a film that takes a situation and gives it hope. I love how the film shows a metaphysical approach to the inner child in us and how we can deal with tragedies in the past. Erin Gray is wonderful in this film and from the beginning to the end you can see her transition from a troubled woman to finally dealing with her inner self. I totally love this and have never seen it done so good in a movie before. With this theme approached with a beautiful background of Mt Shasta, an excellent cast, and fantastic score I recommend Dreams Awake for all ages. Truly well done.