ReelBob: ‘Stay Awake’ ★★★
By Bob Bloom
“Stay Awake” is a despairing drama about the dismal impact of prescription drug addiction on a family — especially the children of the addicted individual.
Making “Stay Awake” poignant is that it mainly focuses on the affect the addiction of single-mom Michelle (a touching and troubled Chrissy Metz) has on her two teenage sons, Derek (Fin Argus), 19, and Ethan (Wyatt Oleff), 17.
The young men, in a sense, are enablers; putting their lives on hold, searching around their hometown of Langford, VA, for her when she goes missing, then taking her to the emergency room for treatment.
Derek works in a bowling alley and also does voice work for local companies for television commercials. Ethan is a high school senior who has been accepted at Brown University in Rhode Island on a full scholarship.
A feeling of anguish hangs over writer-director Jamie Sisley’s film. Smartly, though, he avoids histrionics. “Stay Awake” is a quiet, melancholy feature that, in a nonjudgmental manner, details the emotional toll of addiction.
The foundation of the movie rests on the touching performances of Argus and Oleff. Both take on responsibilities that should not burden any child. They love their mother unconditionally and sacrifice their adolescence to care for her.
They are gentle with Michelle, never blaming or criticizing her and trying to coax her into checking into a rehabilitation center.
Metz’s Michelle is a sympathetic character. You feel sorry for her as she tries to battle her addiction to pills, knowing how she is hurting the sons she dearly loves, but lacking the necessary fortitude to change.
In rehab, Michelle tells her therapist that she considers herself a failure and not a good person. She wants to turn her life around but lacks the necessary will to do so.
If the movie has a villain, it is the doctor who, though knowing better, continues prescribing the medication Michelle needs to maintain her habit.
“Stay Awake” is a heartbreaking, but compassionate, feature that offers a grim depiction of addiction’s strong grip on a family and the collateral damage it leaves in its wake.
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.
STAY AWAKE
3 stars out of 4
Not rated, drug use, language, sexual situations