“Awake”

Rated: R
Genre: Thriller
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba and Lena Olin

A rare happening called “anesthetic awareness” occurs during Clay’s (Christensen) operation, leaving him awake but paralyzed during the surgery due to a failed anesthesia. “Awake” is writer/director Joby Harold’s first film.

“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”

Rated: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Starring: Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner and Marie-Josee Croze

Based on the novel by Jean-Dominique Bauby of the same name, “Diving Bell” revolves around the true story of Bauby’s life with locked-in syndrome, a rare condition where the person is paralyzed but completely aware of the world around them. He communicates by simple eye-blinking for letters of the alphabet and manages to dictate an entire novel to his nurses from this unique perspective.

- Mandy Rodgers