Awaken Her follows a woman who meets for drinks with a potential investor for a new business – but the night escalates in an unwanted direction.
Writer/Director Kerri Lynn Miller gets to the heart of a woman trying to make it in a man’s world. Catherine, played by Miller, seems at ease as the night starts off – as any good business meeting does – with drinks at a restaurant. The atmosphere is comfortable and hopeful, at least at first.
The Investor, played by Monte Bezell, has other ideas about how this meeting should go. He wants to get to know her more intimately before he shells out the money. Catherine allows herself to gradually get swept up in his manipulations. He encourages her to order a drink, tells her to relax, a brief touch of his hand while asking her personal questions – until she finally becomes so uncomfortable she excuses herself to the ladies room. The Investor, not wanting to be deterred, checks up on her. The tension between the two heat up in ways that only satisfy the man and Catherine is left feeling ashamed and broken.
Miller’s portrayal of a woman vacillating between her desires and her moral standards is stunning to watch. She subtly shifts between a confident woman knowing what she wants to a woman allowing a man to control the situation, which leaves her feeling guilty and uncertain. Miller creates an atmosphere where the audience becomes uncomfortable watching Catherine’s actions, yet the hope of her success is still palpable. On the other side of the table, Bezell’s Investor is both charming and sleazy. He makes it easy to see why Catherine would fall so quickly under his patriarchal spell.
Cinematographer Cristhian Andrews and Miller both favor the art of the close-up throughout this film – and it works beautifully. Each camera shot draws you into the emotional journey Catherine goes through in this uncomfortable business meeting. The minimalistic approach allows the viewer to hone in on the tension between the two characters.
Ultimately, this film is a brief look into a topic that society still talks about today: a man’s power play over a woman in a deeply patriarchal system. Awaken Her will leave the audience questioning whether Catherine was right to allow the Investor to do what he did, or should she have been stronger to stand up to him and his advances? Just how far will someone go to find success?
Awaken Her is an important film to watch that forces the audience to question their perceptions of societal double standards – and reflect on their own self worth.