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Stay Awake

Play trailer 2:10 Poster for Stay Awake 2023 1h 34m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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87% Tomatometer 31 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
A quietly powerful look at the ripple effects of opioid addiction, STAY AWAKE explores addiction from the lesser-seen viewpoint of the caretakers--in this case teenaged brothers Oleff and Argus. Their mother, played by Metz, is loving and well-meaning but powerless to pull herself out of the destructive cycle of her disease. The boys must put their dreams on the backburner as they're constantly discovering their mom passed out, dragging her to the hospital, and encouraging to go to rehab--with the possibility of relapse always lingering. Anchored by three superb performances, STAY AWAKE finds surprising humor and humanity amid the tragedy of parental addiction.
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Stay Awake

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Critics Consensus

Empathetic and consistently believable, Stay Awake is an uncommonly nuanced depiction of addiction's impact on the addict's family.

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Critics Reviews

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Josh Kupecki Austin Chronicle 07/06/2023
3/5
With its simple framing and naturalistic performances, Stay Awake recalls the American independent films of the Eighties. Go to Full Review
Michael Rechtshaffen Los Angeles Times 05/26/2023
Stay Awake, offers a compassionate but clear-eyed take on a sadly all-too-familiar family dilemma. Go to Full Review
Matt Zoller Seitz RogerEbert.com 05/19/2023
3/4
For the most part, "Stay Awake" stays low-key and believable, particularly when the actors move through real-world locations while living their lives. Go to Full Review
Connor Lightbody TAKE ONE Magazine 07/04/2024
3/5
it plays the endearing brotherly bond for much-needed warmth[but is] a film that doesn’t quite have enough drive or rage for the American opioid situation many find themselves in Go to Full Review
Carla Hay Culture Mix 11/07/2023
Stay Awake is a searing depiction of the damage that addiction and co-dependency can do to families. This drama is impactful in showing an addicted mother trying to hold on to her two sons, as one of them wants to break free of their dysfunctional cycle. Go to Full Review
Nuha Hassan Nuha Hassan (Medium) 09/04/2023
Stay Awake is a refreshing perspective on how it can affect people’s lives and how every decision family makes comes with a cost, whether or not they wish to leave them behind or stay. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Tony S 11/03/2024 A well-told story about a single mom and her two sons. Mom has a prescription drug problem and frequently overdoses. Her sons support her every time. The older brother works at a bowling center and the younger son gets an Ivy League college scholarship. The younger son is determined to better his lot, while his older brother is stuck. How their lives revolve around their mother's addiction is what drives this film. Definitely worth a watch. See more Roseanne V 09/11/2023 Really poignant and timely story done in a simple way. Subtle yet powerful. See more Steve S 06/04/2023 My mama died of cirrhosis brought on by alcoholism, and for a few years I avoided every movie about parent addicts, because they're often sweetened up. This movie rings so true. Painful but realistic and cathartic. See more 05/27/2023 A beautiful and poignant movie offering a fresh perspective on the opioid crisis. The cinematography is gorgeous. The performances from Wyatt and Finn are subtle and nuanced. The writing and directing is confident, allowing scenes to breath, trusting the audience to infer through subtext. The tone is sharp, lending the necessary gravity to the subject while also imbuing endearing laugh out loud levity. Just beautiful. And a killer soundtrack with a couple Gregory Alan Isakov songs. See more Read all reviews
Stay Awake

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Movie Info

Synopsis A quietly powerful look at the ripple effects of opioid addiction, STAY AWAKE explores addiction from the lesser-seen viewpoint of the caretakers--in this case teenaged brothers Oleff and Argus. Their mother, played by Metz, is loving and well-meaning but powerless to pull herself out of the destructive cycle of her disease. The boys must put their dreams on the backburner as they're constantly discovering their mom passed out, dragging her to the hospital, and encouraging to go to rehab--with the possibility of relapse always lingering. Anchored by three superb performances, STAY AWAKE finds surprising humor and humanity amid the tragedy of parental addiction.
Director
Jamie Sisley
Producer
David Ariniello, Shrihari Sathe, Eric Schultz, Kelly Thomas
Screenwriter
Jamie Sisley
Distributor
Mar Vista Entertainment
Production Co
Whitewater Films, Dialectic, Relic Pictures
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 19, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 15, 2023
Runtime
1h 34m
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