Waking Life

Oct 19, 2001

1h 41m

★ 7.5

Dreams. What are they? An escape from reality or reality itself?

Overview

Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.

Genres

Animation

Drama

Fantasy

Production Companies

IFC Productions

Thousand Words

Detour Filmproduction

Waking Life Trailers

Cast

Jesse

Ethan Hawke

Celine

Julie Delpy

Main Character

Wiley Wiggins

Boat Car Guy

Bill Wise

Man in Car with P.A.

Alex E. Jones

Interviewed on Television

Steven Soderbergh

Bartender

Ken Webster

Angry Man in Jail

Charles Gunning

Young Girl Playing Paper Game

Lorelei Linklater

Young Boy Playing Paper Game

Trevor Jack Brooks

Accordion Player

Glover Gill

Violin Player

Lara Hicks

Simon is an eight-year-old boy who seems to have everything from life. He’s a handsome child, he’s rich yet unhappy. He senses that there’s something wrong with his life and this leads him to wander off thanks to his fervid imagination. His greatest wish is to leave the materialistic world behind since he isn’t fond of it. That’s why the only present he wants for Christmas is for Santa Claus to take him away to live in his fairyland toy factory. At the same time, a secret that his family has been keeping for a long time suddenly comes to the surface and it is feared that the worst might happen soon. The expectation for the stroke of midnight on the night before Christmas is transformed into reality for everyone on the eve of something truly different. Something terrible that might happen.

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