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

There wasn't a soul working on this film who did not produce brilliant, genuinely communicative work that demonstrates exactly what the art of filmmaking is at its very best. And it was only the very clear and obvious display of such tight creative genius at work that kept reminding me that this was actually a film instead of real life recorded at an institution by an inmate with an ever-intrusive video camera. In my life I have known youths suffering from the uncontrollable volatility of a rage as extreme as shown in the film, and just as justifiable as their defensive reaction to the powerful external forces that have waged against them their whole lives. When any biological creature, animal or human, is backed helpless and wounded into a corner, what solution is there other than to bare one's fangs and claws and fight to the death? What can really be done to help people like that get out of their trap, to reverse their ever-spinning deeper into themselves until they have irretrievably locked themselves into madness? From this film I can see why the same word, madness, is used to describe both anger and mental illness.

Lyle, the lead character vividly realized by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, was certainly mad, although his face ingeniously was always comported into an expression of a questioning sadness and resignation, like he was rather surprised that life had turned out to be this way. And he was violent, although for those who are squeamish, his violence was never really clearly shown face-on, but was revealed in an almost subliminal way via quick frames that suggested a fiery atmosphere of angry voices, relentless punches, and splatters of blood--this is the world he has lived in externally and now it demonizes his inner world. And the actor, even when at rest, continued to maintain the demeanor of a coiled spring so tightly wound that it was a wonder his body didn't implosively burst or rip itself apart like a case of tetanus. And yet he was entirely sympathetic, and the groundwork for that sympathy was laid the very first moment when we met him, getting his wounds dressed in a medical clinic. The camera moved behind him and casually revealed him sitting there in a hospital gown that had fallen open in the rear, revealing a vulnerable, skinny back its spinal cord nodules, a smooth back that perhaps his mother when he was a baby or a current lover ought to have soothingly and reassuringly rubbed, if only there had ever been someone who had actually loved him.

I wondered at an institution that so casually mixed up different patients with such diverse problems--the criminally violent with those who cut only themselves, or the changeably manic with those who have an almost invisible self-esteem, or, the relentlessly demeaning with those who are deeply suffering to the point of catatonia or austism. And yet it soon became clear that beyond the realistic and compassionate guidance of a truly dedicated counselor (played to standing-ovation intensity by Don Cheadle), the only hope for them was to be stimulated into opening their hearts to each other and in this way discovering meaning beyond their personal demons.

The patients in the adult ward separated from the youths by a chain-link fence seemed to be irretrievably lost; the freedom of the crows that soon became a symbol of flight out their tight corners for the youths, became only a mocking crowing absorbed by one of the adults. Madness in this institution metaphorically became a clear, legible story, such as the beautiful girl who hid herself behind black lipstick and heavy black eye-liner, or the boy who relentlessly tried to build a house of cards, and yet never seemed to manage to set up the first three.

Without a doubt one of the best scenes was a spontaneous mosh pit that erupted around the playing of a cassette of the Deftones. As I am at least one whole generation older than kids who would smash around in a mosh pit, it might be easy for me to be repelled by this kind of music and scene, and instead I am fascinated and can see how perfectly expressive and either dangerously visceral or benevolently cathartic such music really is and this scene in the film, which to me was like a ballet, was enlightening on many levels. Ultimately, it is clear that the suffering of these youths in the mental institution is metaphorical of the suffering that we all experience in real life and demands a relief of some kind--rage against the machine, indeed.

All in all, Manic is a movie for those who truly care about the craft of film, care about collaborative, creative skill that can come from a work of the heart, care about humanity's relief from suffering, and care about compassionate answers for otherwise seemingly unsolvable problems. For all these reasons, I highly recommend this film.

Troubled youth with anger and rage issues are filmed documentary-style in a youth lockup ward. The plot is simple...counseling sessions, fighting, making friends, playing basketball. The dynamics of the plot are not simple, though. The acting is uniformly superb and, if there hadn't been easily recognizable actors in the film (Joseph Gordon-Levitt from "3rd Rock from the Sun" and Don Cheadle), you might think it was a real documentary.

The film, however, was filmed in cinema-verité by a cameraperson with a bad case of the jitters. The result is a constantly unfocused and moving camera like you've never experienced before. I saw this screening at the Seattle Int. Film Festival and aprox. 25% of the audience walked out in the first 30 minutes. If you can handle this type of film-making, then this thoughtful film is worth checking out, especially for the very realistic performances.

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.

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.