Stay Awake

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2:10

Stay Awake

2023

1h 34m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

31 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

A quietly powerful look at the ripple effects of opioid addiction, STAY AWAKE explores addiction from the lesser-seen viewpoint of the caretakers--in this case teenaged brothers Oleff and Argus. Their mother, played by Metz, is loving and well-meaning but powerless to pull herself out of the destructive cycle of her disease. The boys must put their dreams on the backburner as they're constantly discovering their mom passed out, dragging her to the hospital, and encouraging to go to rehab--with the possibility of relapse always lingering. Anchored by three superb performances, STAY AWAKE finds surprising humor and humanity amid the tragedy of parental addiction.

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Critics Consensus

Empathetic and consistently believable, Stay Awake is an uncommonly nuanced depiction of addiction's impact on the addict's family.

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Josh Kupecki

Austin Chronicle

Jul 6, 2023

3/5

With its simple framing and naturalistic performances, Stay Awake recalls the American independent films of the Eighties.

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Michael Rechtshaffen

Los Angeles Times

May 26, 2023

Stay Awake, offers a compassionate but clear-eyed take on a sadly all-too-familiar family dilemma.

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Matt Zoller Seitz

RogerEbert.com

May 19, 2023

3/4

For the most part, "Stay Awake" stays low-key and believable, particularly when the actors move through real-world locations while living their lives.

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Connor Lightbody

TAKE ONE Magazine

Jul 4, 2024

3/5

it plays the endearing brotherly bond for much-needed warmth[but is] a film that doesn’t quite have enough drive or rage for the American opioid situation many find themselves in

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Carla Hay

Culture Mix

Nov 7, 2023

Stay Awake is a searing depiction of the damage that addiction and co-dependency can do to families. This drama is impactful in showing an addicted mother trying to hold on to her two sons, as one of them wants to break free of their dysfunctional cycle.

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Nuha Hassan

Nuha Hassan (Medium)

Sep 4, 2023

Stay Awake is a refreshing perspective on how it can affect people’s lives and how every decision family makes comes with a cost, whether or not they wish to leave them behind or stay.

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Ellis Y

@RT74260769 Jan 9, 2026

Just finished it wanted to ball throughout. Think Little Miss sunshine but sadder. Emaculatly filmed and written

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Tony S

@RT22145614 Nov 3, 2024

A well-told story about a single mom and her two sons. Mom has a prescription drug problem and frequently overdoses. Her sons support her every time. The older brother works at a bowling center and the younger son gets an Ivy League college scholarship. The younger son is determined to better his lot, while his older brother is stuck. How their lives revolve around their mother's addiction is what drives this film. Definitely worth a watch.

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Roseanne V

@RT43621913 Sep 11, 2023

Really poignant and timely story done in a simple way. Subtle yet powerful.

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Steve S

@RT81915617 Jun 4, 2023

My mama died of cirrhosis brought on by alcoholism, and for a few years I avoided every movie about parent addicts, because they're often sweetened up. This movie rings so true. Painful but realistic and cathartic.

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May 27, 2023

A beautiful and poignant movie offering a fresh perspective on the opioid crisis. The cinematography is gorgeous. The performances from Wyatt and Finn are subtle and nuanced. The writing and directing is confident, allowing scenes to breath, trusting the audience to infer through subtext. The tone is sharp, lending the necessary gravity to the subject while also imbuing endearing laugh out loud levity. Just beautiful. And a killer soundtrack with a couple Gregory Alan Isakov songs.

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Jamie Sisley

Director

Wyatt Oleff

Ethan

Fin Argus

Derek

Chrissy Metz

Michelle

Cree Cicchino

Melanie

Quinn McColgan

Ashley

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Stay Awake: Trailer 1

2:10

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Synopsis

A quietly powerful look at the ripple effects of opioid addiction, STAY AWAKE explores addiction from the lesser-seen viewpoint of the caretakers--in this case teenaged brothers Oleff and Argus. Their mother, played by Metz, is loving and well-meaning but powerless to pull herself out of the destructive cycle of her disease. The boys must put their dreams on the backburner as they're constantly discovering their mom passed out, dragging her to the hospital, and encouraging to go to rehab--with the possibility of relapse always lingering. Anchored by three superb performances, STAY AWAKE finds surprising humor and humanity amid the tragedy of parental addiction.

Director: Jamie Sisley
Producer: David Ariniello, Shrihari Sathe, Eric Schultz, Kelly Thomas
Screenwriter: Jamie Sisley
Distributor: Mar Vista Entertainment
Production Co: Whitewater Films, Dialectic, Relic Pictures
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 19, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2023
Runtime: 1h 34m

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