Manic

Alright, some reviews on this 'motion picture' are a little rough, and thats fine because everyone is entitled to their own personal opinions. So/But i figured i'll put mine out there too, so everyone doesn't think this is a horrible movie not worth your time/money.

The directing/cinematogrophy. . .alright, the director wanted it to feel personal, and up close. Like a documentary. And he suceeded. You have alot of upclose shots of the characters, which works in this type of movie. its filmed in DV to give it that 'raw' feel, as the director said in the behind the scenes stuff. Also the camera's, if not always, are mostly hand held and a tiny bit shakey. But again, it works for this type of film.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays his part just. . he's perfect in it, so is Zooey, she's absolutely beautiful in her character. So with those two, the movies already worth watching, IMHO. Then you add the ward Doctor, Don Cheadie, he's just, amazing in this.

Yes, i know this is one of those reviews that sounds like i was paid by the director to write, but its not that way. I thought this movie was perfect, even the soundtrack was great. But hey, i'm just some guy, writing a review, on a movie i liked. This is all in my little humble opinion.

I say, if you read a bad review, or hear it from the critics, watch it anyway. you might just like it

This is a great movie, by a VERY talented first time director, which grabs you from the brilliant opening credit sequence and never lets go. This film works on so many different levels, I don't understand how it was so overlooked by the arthouse crowd.

The performances, the miniDV cinematography, the score( by Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth)...the script, about troubled teens, mostly with anger management and/or home abuse issues...it's all right on the money.

Kudos especially to Don Cheadle who's proved himself to be one of our greatest and most underappreciated actors. This one section of jump cuts where he's questioning the kids and finally questioning himself is as good a piece of acting as I've seen in a while.

Buy it or rent it...JUST WATCH IT. You won't be sorry.

"Manic" follows teenager Lyle (Joseph Gorden-Levitt) as he is sent into therapy to work on his serious anger management problem, having nearly killed a boy at his school with a baseball bat. The film follows his relationships within the small group, comprising of teenagers suffering mostly from depression or similar anger issues.

Similar to "thirteen" released a few years after this film, "Manic" was co-written by one of the teenagers (Michael Bacall) in the film (although presumably not from his own direct experiences) and this does give the script an authentic ring in terms of dialogue, subjects of discussion and a feel for contemporary American adolescence. Several genuine patients of similar therapy institutions play small roles here and the moments when they tell, presumably true stories, do lend an authentic feel. Unfortunately, the film never quite takes off dramatically. It's too stuck in 'realism' to turn into an outright escape narrative such as "One Flew..." or "Girl, interrupted".

Lyle makes plans to escape and dreams of travelling to Europe but it never forms a central plot to the film. Similarly a tentative romance with a girl in the group, Tracey (the marvellous Zooey Deschanel) is downplayed. There are strong sub-plots, such as an ongoing feud with gangster wannabee Michael (a very good Elden Henson) but the film doesn't address the fundamental issues in these kids lives preferring to just address the direct group dymanics rather than digging deeper. In fact the most distressing story is of Kenny, Lyle's quiet room-mate, who it turns out was abused by his apparently normal, caring father. Holding the film together is a fantastic Don Cheadle, as Dr Monroe, the compassionate yet strict group leader. Cheadle manages to give a layered performance that shows an obvious connection to the kids in his care, professional skill at helping them, a mild touch of cynicism as to the extent people really can change and hints of battling problems of his own.

It's an understandable decision not to over-dramatise events but by playing straight the film risks drifting into banality. The decision not to investigate in more depth the way the US, and Western world, relies on medication to control such teenagers is also a missed opportunity.

The intrusive, mostly close-up DV filming does give that documentary feel to some extent, otherwise it's a little excessively jittery and some may find it distracting from the story and characters, rather than adding an emotional subjectivity.

I would give this film a lower score but the performances by the majority of the cast are first class and there are some very emotional moments and scenarios. Gordon Levitt seems to be favouring these kind of messed up teenager roles and his performance is convincing. Zooey Descchanel yet again proves herself the best young actress around in a demanding role and as mentioned, Don Cheadle near steals the film and provides a much needed strong central foundation in an otherwise dramatically and thematically uncertain script.

This movie is shot like a documentary, which adds to the raw edges of this film. If you are looking a feel good movie with all the answers, this film is not for you. If you are looking for a tiny glimpse of what it is like to have a mental illness and how difficult it is for professionals to help those, then sit back and watch. I was drawn into the characters, both the staff and the patience. The film ensured we never forgot that Psychologists and therapists are human as are the people with the illnesses. Although this film centered on teenagers with problems, the situations can apply to any age range. This is a must see film for any one interested in mental illness issues or those involved with dealing with mental illness. It is a shame this film did not get the positive press it deserves.

An open examination of teenagers with destructive mental illness, societies need to create and control them, and their own quest for control in their lives. The pace is consistent, and the direction is strong and steady as the audience is made to feel like they are directly observing the story unfold. Teenagers who are real patients for the same kind of mental illness helped out in the coaching of the actors which made the improvised work that much more stark. Digital film making heightens the sense of reality since it is used in a documentary style within a good set.

The casting was excellent as each member of the ensemble portrayed their character with depth and individual motivation, and they all interacted believably.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Lyle Jensen sets himself apart from all his previous roles. His portrayal of a disconnected youth full of vague rage and a low threshold for violence gave him many subtle challenges to which he arose. His subconscious search for meaning is the pavement upon which our journey is taken. Don Cheadle is one of the best yet most under appreciated actors there are. His conflicted Dr. Monroe keeps the balance as he tries to manipulate these kids to self control as he precariously avoids the demons of his own past. Michael Bacall plays Lyle's institutional friend Chad. He is great as the basically nice guy with the realistically subtle bipolar disorder who has his own conflicted agenda. Zooey Deschanel's Tracy is a depressed teen with crushingly low self esteem. Her beauty and kindness are in contrast to the others as we struggle to understand her cause for being committed. Sara Rivas maintains balance well as she plays the wannabe hardass Sara who is recovering from severe drug addiction. Sara is destructive to herself, but she does act somewhat as the nurturer for the other patients, especially the meek Tracy. Cody Lightning is compelling as the quiet and messed up Kenny who is also the youngest patient in the wing because he is so messed up. Elden Henson is successful in making the audience completely hate his character Mike. He has problems similar to Lyle plus he behaves ghetto to compensate for his self identity. The Lyle versus Mike conflict is the driving point of the story because they can't escape that what they hate about each other is that within the other they see themselves.

This film describes mental illness for youths in a raw upfront manner that Hollywood could never handle, yet it is to be seen.