Name: Awareness
Director: Daniel Benmayor
Released: 2023-10-11T16:00:38

In Awareness, a boy named Ian is targeted by two different organizations after he uses his psychic powers in public. The film is now streaming on Prime Video.

Story

Ian, an eighteen-year-old boy, has special powers that allow him to project visual illusions into people’s minds. His mother died, as she had the same powers and was used as a subject for experiments by scientists.

Ian’s father, Vicente, wants to prevent him from becoming a lab rat, so he does not allow him to go out or make friends. The two of them use Ian’s powers to commit petty crimes for a living, but they do not make much.

One day, they get caught shoplifting, and Ian uses his powers to flee with his father. This gets the attention of an organization called the Agency. Ian and Vicente then get kidnapped by the Agency, and a member of another organization called the Awareness tries to intervene.

The Agency is at war with the Awareness, which comprises people like Ian, known as perceivers. Caught in the middle of their conflict, Ian cannot trust anyone, not even Vicente.

As Ian tries to find out what happened to his mother, he also starts understanding his powers better. There is a reason why the two organizations want Ian on their side, but will Ian be able to make the right choice?

Performances

Carlos Scholz gives an intense performance as Ian, which can get a little overbearing at times. He does not look like an eighteen-year-old, but to his credit, he does act like one.

Pedro Alonso plays Vicente, and he is the only actor in the film who will make the audience feel for him. His character is not without flaws, and Alonso uses those flaws to make Vicente look more human.

Óscar Jaenada plays the part of a powerful perceiver quite well; he has enough confidence to make it look convincing. Lela Loren and María Pedraza also give adequate performances.

Positives

The film makes good use of the perceivers’ powers. In different scenarios, they cleverly utilize their powers to trick people, even the ones who are aware of them. It is quite fascinating to see the different ways in which their powers can be used.

There are plenty of action sequences in the film, with most of them involving guns. The action is balanced well with the plot, so it does not overwhelm the audience or take the focus away from the plot.

Negatives

Although Ian’s actions are understandable, as he is just a teenager who finds out that he has been told lies all his life, he is still not a very likable character. One does not sympathize with him.

Since there is a lack of emotional connection, his losses fail to move the audience. Even the film does not spend much time on them, which certainly diminishes their importance.

The revelations in the film are also not exciting because they are somewhat predictable. Apart from the revelation about Esther, the film does not have many surprises.

Awareness, the organization, is curiously absent in a film that has been named after it. It does not tie up all the loose ends. It is almost like the film is setting the scene for the sequel, which is hinted at in the end.

Verdict

While Awareness is creative when it comes to exploring its protagonist’s powers, the protagonist fails to inspire sympathy. Furthermore, the film’s plot as a whole is nothing exceptional.