Awakened is a 2013 independent supernatural horror film. It was co-written, co-directed, and co-produced by Joycelyn Engle, who also acts in the film, which stars her daughter Julianne Michelle as the lead character.
The film follows Samantha Winston (Julianne Michelle) as she returns to her hometown to investigate the mysterious death of her mother 14 years earlier. Believing her father is responsible, her investigation leads to supernatural visions that ultimately reveal the truth behind her family's past and her own existence.
The newly formed independent production company Supernova Media, founded and owned by its president Julianne Michelle, who was also the lead character in the movie, handled the film's production. Michelle also served as a producer of the film, as did both of her parents.
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 0% based on reviews from critics. On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 12 out of 100 based on 4 critics. Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times called the film a "poorly acted grab bag of shopworn ideas and hyperbolic behaviors," and Gary Goldstein of the The Los Angeles Times dismissed the film as an "ill-conceived and poorly executed ... forced, lifeless drama."
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Plot
Fourteen years after her mother's death, Samantha Winston (Julianne Michelle) returns to her hometown convinced her father, Jack (John Savage), was responsible for the tragedy. She takes a job at a local funeral home managed by family friend Lucas Drake (Steven Bauer), facing resistance from his business partner, Benny Dawson.
Samantha searches for clues from her uncle Thomas Burton and family friend Harriet Bendi, while experiencing visions of her mother and a mysterious man in a fedora. Ultimately, she discovers that she is already dead and possesses the ability to interact with the deceased.
Cast
Julianne Michelle as Samantha Winston
John Savage as Jack Winston
Steven Bauer as Lucas Drake
Stelio Savante as Benny Dawson
Edward Furlong as Thomas Burton
Sally Kirkland as Harriet Bendi
Bryan Dechart as Liam Dawson
Sean Stone as Man in Fedora Hat
Joycelyn Engle as Dr. Rockwell
Kiva Dawson as Jennifer Winston
Erin Gerasimovich as Young Samantha
Production
Development
The newly formed independent production company Supernova Media, founded and owned by its president Julianne Michelle, who was also simultaneously the lead character in the movie, handled the production of the film. Michelle in addition served as a producer of the film.
Michelle's father, Joseph Di Palma, served as an executive producer of the film. Michelle's mother, Joycelyn Engle, co-wrote, co-directed, and co-produced the film, and also served as the vice president of Supernova Media.
Filming
Principal photography for the film began in September 2012.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 0% based on reviews from critics. On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 12 out of 100 based on 4 critics.
Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times called the film a "poorly acted grab bag of shopworn ideas and hyperbolic behaviors," and criticized Julianne Michelle's lead performance as overacting. The Hollywood Reporter called it "low-rent, convoluted ... [and] amateurish to the extreme," and opined that "Michelle mainly wanders through the film as if in a daze."
Writing for The Los Angeles Times, Gary Goldstein dismissed the film as an "ill-conceived and poorly executed ... forced, lifeless drama." He criticized the screenplay as full of "leaden dialogue and clichés," and noted that Michelle "looks a bit deranged."
Box office
Awakened received a limited theatrical release, before moving to digital and video on demand platforms. Official box office earnings were not publicly recorded.