Max Rissman’s Upon Waking is the romantic film I was expecting. Overlay an LGBT plot, then add a science fiction plot after this indie film’s first act, and I’m in.
Molly (Vanessa Dubasso) and Irene (Elsie Hewitt) return to Irene’s apartment for their first date, which ends a bit awkwardly as Irene struggles to manage her nerves and make a good impression. After sharing a toast, the two women fall asleep on the couch. The next morning, their disembodied spirits awaken in a strange limbo anchored to Irene’s apartment. Molly and Irene’s physical bodies are out cold because of carbon monoxide poisoning from Irene’s faulty oven. Unable to contact the outside world or escape their confined space, they realize they are trapped in what Irene calls “The Incorporal World.”
Molly and Irene are forced to confront their personal demons, which have kept them single for most of their life. Molly, the atheist, mocks Irene’s Christian faith, while Irene tries to maintain hope and positivity. They play campfire games that involve deeply personal and uncomfortable questions, revealing intimate details of their past and long-held secrets about their lives. As the veil of isolation is lifted, the two women begin to form a deep, but guarded, emotional connection. Their spiritual bond becomes the key to their survival and the hope of waking from the coma.
Vanessa Dubasso and Elsie Hewitt share an intimate moment as Molly and Irene in Upon Waking.
“Their spiritual bond becomes the key to their survival and the hope of waking from the coma.”
What I like about Upon Waking is that Max Rissman’s script goes far beyond what I expected about two “ghosts” finding a connection after their first date. It goes far beyond the old romantic trope of two unlikely lovers stuck in a room together. Sure, this all happens in the first half of the film, where Molly and Irene get to know one another and quickly bond over their childhood trauma.
It’s in the second and third acts that Upon Waking really takes off. We soon move out of the apartment as the paramedics finally get to our lovers. While in the hospital, Molly and Irene must confront their childhood trauma while at the same time fighting to save one another. Here, it takes on a truly sci-fi vibe, exploring our own humanity and the idea that we were not meant to be alone.
It’s this sci-fi twist that brings a fresh perspective to a romantic story that’s been told too many times. Vanessa Dubasso and Elsie Hewitt are great as two very different people who find a way to fall in love with one another—or do they? This is a romance, after all.
Ultimately, Upon Waking delivers a refreshing and thoughtful take on the romance genre by blending sci-fi elements with deeply personal storytelling. This is not your typical meet-cute, as Upon Waking becomes an emotional journey about healing, connection, and falling in love as a way to transcend even the most surreal circumstances.
"…not your typical meet-cute..."
