Waking Madison

When I first heard about Waking Madison, I was skeptical. I knew it was related to mental illness and what is or isn't considered reality. I expected a really "out there" film, one that I would struggle to understand. What ended up being my reality was quite a surprise. As someone that works in the mental health field with people dealing with trauma, I was captivated by the characters and the story line. What I thought was taking place, ended up being a twist which to me makes a film great. This is the writer and producer's story. It is a story of torment as the young woman searches for help. It is a story of resilience and hope. I believe there are parts that live inside of each of us that can be destructive, but there are parts that can strengthen us as well. I would recommend that anyone that sees Waking Madison watch the entire film to see the outcome that is unexpected. The actors were phenomenal as well as the location and art. As I believe, also, there is beauty in the darkness. Out of the darkness in this story, comes the light of life.

i got mixed up at some point in the movie but when i understood i though it was awesome it needs a good brain to create that kind of movie and i just love it when i get lost in a movie and find my way back in that means it really captured my attention...it is different from :Loving Annabelle but thats the point i think...thriller suspenses and horror are my favorite kind so i did enjoy watching this movie. in my opinion there is a sad side about the story of the girl and what she has been trough but its a lesson that we never know what a person is going trough in its personal life so we should always be kind..i hope there will be more movie like this in the future.Katherine Brooks is an awesome filmmaker and director i hope she will create many more movies like this one.

Waking Madison is a brilliant film, from the acting, to the story, to the cinematography. New Orleans provides the perfect backdrop to tell the story of Madison, a girl who, after a suicide attempt, locks herself in her apartment for 30 days to try and deal with her inner demons.

This story feels so real and true that you cannot help but to be drawn in and feel connected. Through the movie, you feel hurt and lost and confused right along with Madison. There are many psychological twists and turns and soon you become lost in her world, just like she is.

This movie is amazingly directed and filmed. There are so many hints and clues and tiny pieces that all come together in the end, you will be left amazed. Definitely one you will want to watch over and over, and you will pick up new things every time you do. This is the kind if movie that makes you think...

Director Katherine Brooks really outdid herself with Waking Madison. It is a must see movie, if I've ever seen one. <3

When I first watched the trailer for this movie, I thought I had a somewhat good idea of what the movie is about. But, after watching the whole thing, my expectations and the intensity at which it hit me when up the roof. If you're expectations are high for this movie, take my word for it, it won't go down a bit but it will just go off the charts. Dramatic story, great intensity, didn't expect the ending to be this way, left feeling with too many emotions that make you think about the ending and ask what does that mean. I was frustrated when I couldn't understand what it meant because there was this urge that made me figure it out, no matter what. The storyline,acting, music, cinematography, effects, sets, everything has been used to the fullest. This movie will truly be the greatest of all time, and once again, Katherine Brooks has proved that she is one of the brilliant directors we have in our lifetime.

Waking Madison (2010)

The movie world is filled with talents coming from nowhere and making a splash. Director Katherine Brooks is not one of them. Her resume of MTV compilations and other professional jobs doesn't even quite prepare you for the badly worked clichés, uninspired acting, and amateurish writing here.

The reason it comes to mind here (and not all the other mediocre movies out there) is that Brooks is both director and writer here, as if she was really sure of herself.

The idea isn't bad in itself. A young woman (played by Sarah Roemer) faces her multiple personality disorders in a period of high drama crisis. And the movie manifests this for the viewer in an unexpected way. When this "trick" first becomes clear (and I'll give no hints here) it's fascinating, the one minute of actual fascination you can expect. When the trick gets played a second time it's pure sensationalism, or just lack of inspiration.

Another problem is Elizabeth Shue's performance as the leading psychologist, which at first I blamed on her. She's bland and unconvincing, even after the final twist when you might reevaluate what her purpose was all along. Now I lay some blame at the director's feet.

There are some nice grungy set designs, the music plays well into the mood, the photography is decent, the layering of video within the larger photography is interesting, and so on. I mean, it has the bones of a decent movie. It reminds you that writing comes first (the idea, and the dialog) and then acting and directing (hand in hand) are critical.

Who is this Sarah Roemer? A really promising actress with a terrible agent. The movies she has been in are rotten rotten rotten. So it's hard to see the energy she keeps just under the surface throughout. Likewise for two other secondary young women who play with intensity worthy of a spooky movie about mental disturbances: Imogen Poots (who was in the interesting "Solitary Man" with Michael Douglas) and Taryn Manning (who seems to have Roemer's same agent, or the same kind of agent).

So? What to do? Skip this one. There are many better low budget or low quality psycho flicks with better edges and surprises.