Awake
While undergoing open heart surgery, a man's failed anesthetic leaves him completely alert, but paralyzed and unable to tell his doctors
The film financial setback against its significant budget of $86.0M, earning $14.4M globally (-83% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its innovative storytelling within the crime genre.
1 win & 3 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Awake (2007) exhibits deliberately positioned narrative design, characteristic of Joby Harold's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 24 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.5, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Clay Beresford
Sam Lockwood
Dr. Jack Harper
Lilith Beresford
Dr. Larry Lupin
Main Cast & Characters
Clay Beresford
Played by Hayden Christensen
A wealthy young man who experiences anesthetic awareness during heart surgery and uncovers a conspiracy against his life.
Sam Lockwood
Played by Jessica Alba
Clay's new wife and surgical nurse who harbors dangerous secrets about their whirlwind romance.
Dr. Jack Harper
Played by Terrence Howard
Clay's longtime friend and chosen surgeon who betrays him for financial gain.
Lilith Beresford
Played by Lena Olin
Clay's controlling, wealthy mother who disapproves of his marriage and tries to protect his interests.
Dr. Larry Lupin
Played by Arliss Howard
A respected cardiac surgeon recommended by Clay's mother, initially rejected by Clay.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Clayton Beresford Jr., wealthy young businessman, meets secretly with his fiancée Sam, establishing his divided world between his controlling mother's expectations and his hidden love life.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 10 minutes when Clayton receives emergency call that a donor heart has become available. Must have immediate surgery. Life-or-death situation forces all hidden conflicts to surface.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 20 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Clayton is administered anesthesia and the surgery begins. He crosses the threshold from consciousness into what should be unconsciousness - but instead enters the nightmare of anesthesia awareness. The "new world" is his own paralyzed body., moving from reaction to action.
At 42 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat Clayton fully realizes the scope of the betrayal: Dr. Harper and Sam appear to be working together to murder him for his fortune. False defeat - he believes even his wife has betrayed him. Stakes raise from survival of surgery to survival of murder plot., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 62 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Clayton's heart fails completely during surgery. Clinical death. The literal "whiff of death" - he flatlines. His consciousness faces the void. All seems lost as the murder plot appears to have succeeded., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 67 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. The revelation and synthesis: Sam is a perfect heart match for Clayton. She makes the ultimate choice - suicide to donate her heart and save the man she loves. Truth revealed, ultimate sacrifice made, new information changes everything., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Awake's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping Awake against these established plot points, we can identify how Joby Harold utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Awake within the crime genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional crime films include The Bad Guys, Batman Forever and 12 Rounds.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Clayton Beresford Jr., wealthy young businessman, meets secretly with his fiancée Sam, establishing his divided world between his controlling mother's expectations and his hidden love life.
Theme
Sam tells Clayton: "You can't control everything" - the central theme about control, trust, and the terrifying loss of both. Foreshadows his complete powerlessness during anesthesia awareness.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to Clayton's world: his wealth, his deteriorating heart condition requiring transplant, his overbearing mother Lilith who controls his life and fortune, his secret relationship with Sam from a different social class, and his friendship with Dr. Jack Harper.
Disruption
Clayton receives emergency call that a donor heart has become available. Must have immediate surgery. Life-or-death situation forces all hidden conflicts to surface.
Resistance
Clayton debates which surgeon to use - his mother wants her choice, but Clayton insists on his friend Dr. Harper. He and Sam quickly marry in secret before surgery. Tension between mother and son escalates. Pre-operative preparations and final moments before anesthesia.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Clayton is administered anesthesia and the surgery begins. He crosses the threshold from consciousness into what should be unconsciousness - but instead enters the nightmare of anesthesia awareness. The "new world" is his own paralyzed body.
Mirror World
Clayton's consciousness detaches from his body, beginning out-of-body experiences. This spiritual/psychological mirror world allows him to witness the truth about everyone around him while being completely powerless to act.
Premise
The "promise" of the psychological thriller: Clayton experiences the horror of anesthesia awareness, feeling every cut while paralyzed. He overhears conversations revealing Dr. Harper's plot to kill him. Flashbacks reveal the conspiracy being formed. Clayton desperately tries to communicate but cannot move or speak.
Midpoint
Clayton fully realizes the scope of the betrayal: Dr. Harper and Sam appear to be working together to murder him for his fortune. False defeat - he believes even his wife has betrayed him. Stakes raise from survival of surgery to survival of murder plot.
Opposition
Through flashbacks and present awareness, the full conspiracy unfolds. Clayton's mother's manipulation revealed. His body begins to fail on the operating table. The conspirators close in as his vital signs weaken. Clayton's disembodied consciousness witnesses everything but grows weaker.
Collapse
Clayton's heart fails completely during surgery. Clinical death. The literal "whiff of death" - he flatlines. His consciousness faces the void. All seems lost as the murder plot appears to have succeeded.
Crisis
Clayton's consciousness in limbo, processing death and betrayal. Sam's true nature revealed - she actually loves Clayton and was being coerced. She discovers the full murder plot and fights to save him. Dark night of the soul for both Clayton's spirit and Sam's desperate action.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
The revelation and synthesis: Sam is a perfect heart match for Clayton. She makes the ultimate choice - suicide to donate her heart and save the man she loves. Truth revealed, ultimate sacrifice made, new information changes everything.
Synthesis
Emergency transplant of Sam's heart into Clayton. The conspirators are exposed and stopped. Clayton's mother's role in the conspiracy revealed. The finale resolves all threads: medical, criminal, and spiritual. Clayton fights back to life with Sam's heart.
Transformation
Clayton awakens with Sam's heart beating in his chest. He has survived but lost his true love. The closing image mirrors the opening but shows profound transformation - he lived, but at the ultimate cost. He carries Sam's heart literally and figuratively. Bittersweet ending.