eabakkum Review of Rude Awakening

Rude Awakening (1989)

The protest movement as a backcloth for jokes?

[7 September 2011]

The hippie theme fascinates me. Although at the time the movement was too bold for me, I keep wondering whether I may have missed something. Thanks to the IMDb I was able to discover the film Rude Awakening, for it is advocated by visitors on the message board of the film Hair. I had already watched Hair and was dissatisfied because of its distortion of the original narrative in the musical. On the other hand I really liked the Swedish film Tillsammans (Together), and appreciated Strawberry Statement. Actually the hippie movement is probably universal, although the motorcycle and camper van aspect (Easy Rider!) appears to be typically American. I guess that the European countries are too small for that. Rude Awakening is presented as a comedy, which of course is just an alternative approach to narrate dramatic events. In the story two New York hippies, Fred and Hesus, have traveled in 1969 to a fictitious Latin American state in order to found a commune in the jungle. They have embraced the soft drug culture, and make a living by growing hemp for the production of hashish. (By the way, in the Netherlands the cultivation of hemp for the production of hash is illegal but the sale of soft drugs isn't). Fred is obviously the leader of the colony, and Hesus has become an addicted zombie, who takes anything that might be hallucinatory. Although the addiction of Hesus looks hilarious, in real life it is fairly commonplace. Therefore his role is perhaps meant to be a warning signal: a history of even moderate hash consumption will lead to severe symptoms at old age. In 1989 a CIA agent is fatally wounded by the local revolutionary army, and in his last moments hands over to Fred a secret dossier about a forthcoming American invasion. Fred decides to alert the American public, and returns to New York, together with Hesus, who follows him more or less like a pet. Fred reanimates his former contact in the hippie movement, notably the former commune members Petra and Sammy. However, Petra and Sammy have done extremely well, and have made careers for themselves. It is understandable, that they are shocked to see their former acquaintances, and loathe the appearance of Hesus. But here the story takes a strange turn, because suddenly Petra and Sammy regress into their abjured hippie attitude. Clearly Rude Awakening is not meant to be a study of characters. In the mean time the FBI starts to hunt Fred in an attempt to recover the secret dossier. Here Hesus plays a heroic and illogical part, when during a gun fight he manages to disarm one of the FBI agents. The quartet decides to occupy the main building on the N.Y. university campus. From its balcony Fred informs the crowd of students about the forthcoming invasion and tries to stir a rebellion. However, the times have changed since 1969, and his speech only serves to increase the already bellicose spirit of the American people. (An old lady sighs: "We have not won something for a long time"). Fred collapses in despair, and loathes his former vegetating life in the jungle. Still he decides to return to the jungle (it remains a mystery why), but just then a group of students appeals to him for guidance in the renewal of the civil movement. This climax is apparently the definite acknowledgment of the avant-garde function of the movement of 68, and its lasting influence on society. Unfortunately Rude Awakening has too many evident weaknesses. The characters lack logic and depth, the dialogs are superficial and childish, and many of the events are absurd. Some instances may provide food for thought and meditation, like the balcony scene, where Fred asks: "How is my hair?" Remember that hair is a symbol of the movement of 68, the name of another hippie film etc. But this is just not enough for a film that pretends to be a reflection on an influential cultural and historical movement. So maybe this protest movement features as nothing more than a backcloth for jokes. Rude Awakening is too lighthearted and senseless for my taste, and I recommend Tillsammans or Strawberry Statement instead.