What we flagged
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Our take
Awake is a tense science-fiction thriller about a world where people can no longer sleep. A former soldier tries to keep her children safe as guns, threats, and unstable crowds become common. Strong swearing is frequent, children are taught to handle firearms, and a dead body is used for supplies. We put it at around MA 15+ and up, with a parent nearby for the sustained fear and child peril.
Uplifting themes
A mum keeps pushing to protect her kids when almost every adult around her is falling apart. A simple line about keeping trying lands in the middle of chaos. Care still costs something in this world Jill puts her children first even when her own past is messy and she is running on empty. She is brave, not perfect, and the film does not pretend violence is cool. Take the loyalty, leave the gun drills
Story (may spoil tone)
After a sudden global event wipes out all electronics and takes away humankind’s ability to sleep, chaos quickly begins to consume the world. Only Jill, an ex-soldier with a troubled past, may hold the key to a cure in the form of her own daughter. The question is, can Jill safely deliver her daughter and save the world before she herself loses her mind.
What we flagged
Details
Violence Guns come out early and stay in play, with people killed, soldiers scre…
Guns come out early and stay in play, with people killed, soldiers screaming threats, and a scramble over a car. A mum puts a firearm in her kids' hands so they can stay alive. The danger feels constant, not a one-off fight
Language The f-word flies all the way through, from panic to soldier rants, and…
The f-word flies all the way through, from panic to soldier rants, and you also get the s-word, the b-word, and a harsh c-word slur. It is adult, loud, and often angry. Younger ears will not miss it
Sex / nudity Someone notes that a teen character has never had sex. It is a quick li…
Someone notes that a teen character has never had sex. It is a quick line in a stressful stretch, not a sex scene. No nudity stands out around it
Drugs / alcohol A character admits to a past overdose while talking about who she used…
A character admits to a past overdose while talking about who she used to be. Later street talk treats stimulants like scarce gold. You hear the history more than you watch a drug montage
Frightening The whole premise is people who cannot sleep and slowly lose their grip…
The whole premise is people who cannot sleep and slowly lose their grip, which feels bleak and tense for most of the film. Crowds, soldiers, and sudden violence keep the nerves up. Sensitive teens may sit with that dread after it ends
Child peril / abuse Children remain in danger during the collapse, and adults see a girl as…
Children remain in danger during the collapse, and adults see a girl as important to a cure. Their mother teaches them to handle guns because the roads have become unsafe
Bullying / discrimination A pursuer taunts a boy with a nasty b-word jab while chasing him. Soldi…
A pursuer taunts a boy with a nasty b-word jab while chasing him. Soldiers also pile on with humiliating orders and slurs. It is short, mean talk inside a bigger crisis, still ugly for younger ears
Gore / death / weapons Someone handles a dead body to grab supplies, and blood talk appears ar…
Someone handles a dead body to grab supplies, and blood talk appears around medical sampling. Firearms are on screen a lot. You get corpses and weapons without a long gore reel
Dangerous behaviour Children are shown how to hold and fire a gun. The story presents this…
Children are shown how to hold and fire a gun. The story presents this as survival, but it is a clear behaviour parents may want to discuss
Mental health Lack of sleep is shown alongside rage, paranoia, and difficulty thinkin…
Lack of sleep is shown alongside rage, paranoia, and difficulty thinking clearly. That decline is part of the film's central fear
Flashing lights We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.
We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.
Family watch notes
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Talk after watching
- People stop sleeping and start turning on each other. What would your family protect first if the world got that shaky?
- A mum teaches her kids to shoot so they can survive. When does protection tip into something kids should not have to carry?
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Awake
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