Awake

In an isolated religious commune, Bethany faces a life-altering choice when a rebellious outsider, Lucy, introduces her to a world beyond the farm. Now, Bethany must choose between a life of obedience rooted in fear or a chance at freedom and love.

Awake follows Bethany, an innocent 17-year-old girl living on an isolated religious commune with her mother and sister. Everything changes when Lucy, a 17-year-old stranger, wanders close to the fence dividing the commune from the outside world. Intrigued, Bethany is drawn to her, and Lucy convinces her to do the unthinkable: cross the fence into the unknown. But the Prophet, the commune’s leader, senses Bethany’s faith beginning to fade. As she grows closer to Lucy, a forbidden love takes root, and vivid nightmares of the Awakening Ceremony haunt her—an event where, at 18, one is sworn in as an official member of the commune. When Lucy urges Bethany to run away with her, the Prophet discovers an incriminating object from the outside world hidden in Bethany’s dresser. Determined to assert control, he moves the ceremony up, disregarding the age limit. When Lucy learns of this, she interrupts the ritual, stealing a rifle from the commune and placing it in Bethany’s hands. Now, Bethany must make the most important decision of her life. Set in the mid-2000s, Awake explores themes of family pressure and self-discovery, telling a story about how fear can prove more powerful than love.