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Waking Life

R20011h 41mRichard Linklater
IMDb 7.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 81% · Metacritic 85

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Synopsis

"Dreams. What are they? An escape from reality or reality itself?"

Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.

AnimationDramaFantasy
DreamsPhilosophyParallel WorldExistenceAdult Animation

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Frequently asked questions

What is Waking Life (2001) about?

Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.

Who stars in Waking Life?

Waking Life stars Ethan Hawke (Jesse), Julie Delpy (Celine), Wiley Wiggins (Main Character), Bill Wise (Boat Car Guy), Alex E. Jones (Man in Car with P.A.). The film was directed by Richard Linklater.

How long is Waking Life?

Waking Life has a runtime of 1 min and premiered in 2001. It is rated R.

Is Waking Life worth watching?

Waking Life holds an IMDb rating of 7.6/10. On Rotten Tomatoes it scores 81. Fans of Animation, Drama, Fantasy are most likely to enjoy it — TasteRay can tell you how well it matches your personal taste.

Where can I watch Waking Life?

Streaming availability for Waking Life changes by country and service. TasteRay tracks where it is available across Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Max, Apple TV+ and 50+ other platforms — the current options for your country are shown on this page.