Wake Up is a 2023 French-Canadian action horror film directed by Anouk Willes and Joan-Carl Wissel. The film is set to be released in France on May 8, 2024.
This is a genre film with horror and thriller elements, which intertwines messages of activism with a pure struggle for survival.
The story begins when a group of young activists take a bold action to draw attention to the environmental crisis — they invade a large furniture hypermarket, which they believe is polluting the environment, and plan to leave graffiti and recordings.
However, their plan backfires - after the store closes for the night, they accidentally get locked inside. The group soon discovers that they are not alone: a ruthless night watchman, obsessed with a primitive "hunting game", is on duty, chasing them through the vast space among furniture and corridors, where darkness and violence become a constant threat.
The plot of the movie Wake Up moves between a struggle for survival, panic, and surprising twists and turns as the youth's idealism collides with a harsh reality—and the further into the night they go, the darker their nightmare becomes.
The direction is intense, with dark visuals and close-ups that emphasize the strange atmosphere of the abandoned store, transformed into an arena for hunting and looting. The close-ups and unpredictable scenes enhance the sense of impasse and danger that characterizes the good guys. slasher-movies.
At the same time, it also introduces a social undertone—the motifs of activism and the conflict between ideas and reality, although some critics note that these remain secondary, while the main emphasis falls on horror and violence.
The main roles in the film are played by:
Turlo Convery — as Kevin, one of the activists whose determination and sanity are put to the test. Benny O. Arthur — like Ethan, whose idealism often determines the group's actions. Jacqueline More — like Yasmin, who balances pragmatism and moral issues. Charlotte Stoiber — like Emily, adding dynamics to group relationships. Alicia Yoko Fontana — like Grace, as well as Tom Gould (Karim) and Kyle Scudder (Tyler), who contribute to the diversity of characters in the film.
The supporting cast also includes other actors such as Aidan O'Hair (Jack) and Gary Anthony Moan, which add further nuance to the tense group dynamics in the conflict-filled plot.
Wake Up is a dynamic and sharp horror-thriller that combines a topical social theme with genre elements of horror and persecution, providing slasher film fans with plenty of scenes of tension and surprises.
Although the characters sometimes remain archaic archetypes and the ideas secondary, the film manages to offer a dark and engaging experience for viewers looking for scary and intense moments from the modern horror genre.
