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Wide Awake

Name: Wide Awake
Director: Penelope Buitenhuis
Released: 2007

Representation Score

3.6/10

Limited

2007

Director

Penelope Buitenhuis

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Wide Awake is a genre-driven thriller that finds its most significant progressive value in its portrayal of disability. By centering a protagonist with narcolepsy, the film integrates a neurological condition into the core mechanics of the plot and character's ability to drive the story. While the film succeeds in providing a strong female lead who avoids passive clichés, it lacks broader multi-layered depth. The narrative remains within the conventional bounds of mid-2000s television thrillers, focusing on individual heroism against corporate malfeasance. Ultimately, the film fails to engage with LGBTQ+ identities, racial diversity, or complex cultural deconstruction, making its impact largely one-dimensional.

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Category Breakdown

Does Wide Awake have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or narratives addressing non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth identities. The story focuses entirely on the central mystery and the protagonist's medical condition.

How does Wide Awake portray gender?

Fair

Cassie serves as a strong female protagonist who actively pursues a conspiracy. This challenges the typical damsel in distress cliché, though the diversity of the supporting cast is unconfirmed.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Wide Awake?

Minimal

There is no evidence of a diverse or non-Anglo-Saxon majority cast. The narrative does not indicate any race-bent casting or ethnic representation.

How does Wide Awake represent religion and culture?

Fair

The film explores themes of institutional corruption and unregulated science. However, it follows standard thriller clichés rather than offering a deep critique of specific cultural or religious frameworks.

Does Wide Awake include disability representation?

Good

Narcolepsy is central to the plot and the protagonist's ability to drive the story. The film uses this neurological condition as a narrative driver rather than a source of mockery.

Present on Screen

The protagonist possesses high ability to act, actively investigating a conspiracy rather than acting as a passive victim.
Narcolepsy is treated as a central narrative driver that grants the character's ability to drive the story rather than just being a burden.
The film challenges traditional gender roles by centering a female investigator in a high-stakes crime setting.

Limited or Absent

The film lacks any representation of LGBTQ+ characters or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth identities.
There is no evidence of racial or ethnic diversity within the cast or narrative.
The story relies on conventional thriller clichés rather than exploring deeper cultural or institutional critiques.

Official Synopsis

Cassie has no problem falling asleep -- it's staying awake that's the hard part, because she's narcoleptic. Fortunately for Cassie, she works in a lab that has just created a serum to treat this disruptive condition. However, when subjects in the trial for this new drug start dropping dead, she uncovers a conspiracy that sends her on a dangerous pursuit of the truth. Will she fall asleep on the job? Let's hope not -- she's got a lot of bullets (and sleep-deprived hallucinations) to dodge along her road to justice.

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