Kathrin Steinbacher's Animated Short Inspired by Oliver Sacks' 'Awakenings'

Austrian filmmaker Kathrin Steinbacher created a poetic animation based on a story from Oliver Sacks' book 'Awakenings'. The book recounts Sacks' work in the 1960s with survivors of the encephalitis lethargica epidemic that ravaged Europe between 1915 and 1920, killing over 1.5 million people. The disease causes lethargy, eye movement blockage, and Parkinson-like symptoms. Sacks treated some patients with the new drug L-Dopa. One chapter tells of Rose, who was briefly awakened by the treatment but ultimately succumbed. Her recurring dream of an inaccessible castle symbolized her own imprisoned body. 'Awakenings' became a bestseller and was adapted into a film starring Robert De Niro and Robin Williams.