Manic went largely unnoticed after it's 2001 release and remains highly underrated. To say the least, Manic is a remarkable achievement in my opinion. It is the most realistic portrayal of a youth psych ward that I have yet seen on film. It focuses on a group of kids, roughly 12-17 years old, who are locked up in a hospital in order to receive "therapeutic healing." None of them are crazy per say, but they all seem to have serious emotional issues (but then again who doesn't?). This film is brutally honest, raw, and sometimes hard to watch. Having been in a similar type of institution myself when I was 17, I can speak highly for the credibility and accuracy of the content. I have not seen another movie tackle this subject in such an unflinching realistic manner. There's no fabricated drama here for the sake of the box office. The sometimes shaky, nontraditional camera work, and the lack of a musical soundtrack (with the exception of when the kids actually turn on the radio themselves), make this movie feel more like a documentary and less like a cinematic feature. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is phenomenal as Lyle Jensen, a ticked off confused kid who can't seem to contain his rage. Don Cheadle is equally effective as the head Counselor struggling to make a difference in the lives of these troubled teens. They couldn't have cast a better man for this role. He is more than convincing as the lead staff member who realizes that he's probably not getting through to these kids at all. I noticed some similarities to the movie "One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest," but Manic is far from a remake of that film. I doubt that Manic will become a classic like "Cuckoo's Nest," but it is certainly an underground hit in my book. My mother works at an alternative high school for kids with similar issues to those in Manic. I showed her Manic and could tell she had trouble watching it, identifying the characters with both me and her students. Manic is an important film but it's not for everyone. It's definitely on my top ten list. If you want to take a strange trip down a dark painful path, and see what it is to grow up feeling like a "messed up kid" like I did, then check out Manic for sure. Otherwise, steer clear, you may be disturbed. Then again, aren't we all.
Review of Manic
