I love the atmosphere and mood of that movie. It is this kind of tranquil, yet suspenseful early 20th century (but in terms of general atmosphere - rather late 19th century) way. It is not as busy as modern times, nor as tech-focused. Things .... takes longer - and a lot of un-explainable stuff - remains a mystery.The protagonist, a very modern, assertive and educated woman, disproves the supernatural.. and from that very stereotypical beginning - it is very obvious .. that she will be kind of "redeemed" by the end of the movie. She will realize that there IS the supernatural.The movie is her process of realizing this ... and i do not quite agree with this progress much. The story starts similar to an investigative movie. She uses devices that are meant to catch the fraud (or the supernatural), she investigates the people around her and all. But foremost ... she did not even want to investigate the site - and i did not quite understand the reason WHY she decided to do it anyway. This decision aside - the investigative part is handled in a rather rushed way. She falls victim to kind of typical horror movie tropes. Her emotions completely blind her rational thinking.Also - and i am absolutely unsure why that is.... for a school that large at that time ... there only seem to be what ... 2 teachers? - Where are all the adults in that school. There is a severe lack of people to talk to - to gain a more objective insight - and she does not even try to gain sufficient information about the few ones that ARE there.So the investigative part of the movie is severely lacking and unsatisfying.Then there is the supernatural part - where she gets overwhelmed by - sadly - there is no better term .... - by jump scares. Many of those are only there for the audience, not even for her (cause there is no way she would have seen them)Her mental progression is a bit too quick for my taste and not quite justified - because at that time - the audience knows way too little about her history. So objectively - she just turns from a rational researcher and fervent denier of the supernatural - to an emotional wreck ... fully believing in the supernatural. - a bit mehh.... .The conclusion is not stereotypical - and i would not even call it bitter-sweet - but rather ... tragic. BUI - it, too .. is insufficiently explained - not to mention that the idea of completely forgetting such a memory is more a trope of cheap "tele-novelas" with their tendency of amnesia. I only saw the movie once - so i am not aware if there were possibly character interaction plot-holes present .. but i give it the benefit of the doubt. Most of those problems are rather minor though for the movie IS enjoyable. The visuals are very nice - and the acting is - for the most part ... alright (a bit overacted for my taste here and there...)

People review this movie good because they think it is so complicated. The movie is not to be understood, this is because things don't match up. People might give the movie a high rating because they don't fully understand the movie, but that's the writer's fault, cause it honestly has a plot that does not make sense. The story line is all over the place and illogical. Even when we are talking about the paranormal, the plot is still really illogical and unclear. The movie is lonely, tedious and has some nice shots that give you a sense of ambiance. But after all it is definitely not strong. Slim entertainment and no wisdom being acquired from this movie. If people are amazed by this movie they haven't seen much other good movies,I have seen plenty good movies and this 1 will get 2/3 stars.

1920's England, Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) is a ghost hunter that doesn't believe in ghosts so she goes around exposing fraudulent ghost stories. She met her match when she visited a boys school that had a specter problem.This pretentious film was so full of it. It was rife with ambiguous dialog about the past, about feelings and other things. There was love, there was loss, there was longing, there was lust and a lot of other useless gibberish. In its effort to be deep and complex it fell flat. The acting was so over the top as was the script. The story, though not entirely predictable, was lame and took a page right out of "The 6th Sense" and "The Others" book.What were they going for? If they were going for the foreign, artsy, abstruse feel, then they got it--but that's not an automatic recipe for success. And what really sucks is that the movie started off so well. I thought it had a real chance to be something good but it completely fizzled out.

As I picked through the DVD's at my local library, I came across The Awakening as an after thought.Another ghost story, I thought to myself. Sure. Why not? I really didn't expect much beyond the above board cookie-cutter production out of Hollywood with some decent thrills and chills and a nice neat little ending.How delightfully wrong I was.Set in London in 1921, Rebecca Hall portrays the indelible Ms Catheart. Florence Catheart is a rarity in her time. She's unmarried, educated, an author, and has a successful career as a debunker of the supernatural. She delights in busting charlatans and frauds much the same as the Amazing James Randi does in our own time.Shortly after a successful raid on a séance hosted by prominent citizens in London, Florence is paid a visit by a Mr. Mallory (Dominic West) requesting her services at the Rockford School for Boys in the countryside. They evidently have a ghost. Florence reluctantly takes the job.The school itself is a large, multi-floored structure that years before was the private home of a very rich family. And a little boy is rumored to have been killed inside, but no official record exists as the wealthy can afford to bury their secrets. Florence's sometimes erratic behavior belies the fact she has her own secrets buried deep within her own heart. But neither will stay buried forever.Florence sets up camp inside with her assembly of turn-of-the-century scientific equipment and trap cameras, and the mysteries begin to unfold at a satisfying pace.All the sets, costumes and props are authentic (but I doubt the existence of mechanical talking dolls in the early 1900's). The film itself, although shot in color, has a slight hue of sepia to it that adds to it's illusion of looking back in time. Side plots and character development abound, and tie in quite nicely around the main story. Twists and turns throughout the story are well constructed and provide many a surprise. Strap yourself into your easy chair with your favorite hot beverage, turn the lights off and enjoy!The Awakening is guaranteed not to put you to sleep.