Manic

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Wayne K Featuring an incredible early lead performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt that no on ever seems to talk about, Manic is a raw and unflinching depiction of troubled teens trying to either work out their issues or do their best to come to terms with them. The handheld shaky camera style lends the films an extra level of intimacy and personability, since the film feels like it could have been shot and assembled by one of the characters, and the video and audio quality fits right in with the time period. The characters involved are all unique not necessarily in the problems they’ve had in the past, but how those problems have manifested within them, and the effects its had on their lives. There are people who are angry, violent, introverted, snide, indifferent. No 2 are the same, and with such a small cast we have more of a chance to get to know each of them, and while some certainly stand out more than other there’s a sense of humanity in each of them. The ending might feel like a disappointment to some, but it perfectly matches the leads progression as a miscreant who goes from caring about nobody, including himself, to somebody with small but obvious shreds of empathy slowly rising to the surface. An effective little psychodrama that makes the best use of both its settings and its participants, and proves that the early 2000s were, in terms of cinema, more than just the 90s leftovers. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/25/25 Full Review Audience Member It was a good movie in terms of showing mental health and the environment inside of facilities but the storyline kinda gets thrown around. Some scenes don't really add up and the ending was pretty confusing. Has good acting but, like others said, the camera work isn't the best. Doesn't show much from being zoomed it and so you can't really see much of what is fully going on. I know this movie came out quite some time ago but the comment about the camera work is solely because it's too zoomed in. However, I did like the acting and portraying of different mental health issues along with facilities. There isn't much that accurately shows the environment inside of facilities but this movie got it down pretty good I'd say. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 05/30/25 Full Review kaden d I'm not sure why but I have a soft spot for movies like these. Joseph Gordon-Levitt always knocks it out of the park when he plays characters like this. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review jelisije j Absolutely fantastic movie about multiple young people dealing with multiple problems and trying to become more then what they feel they can only be. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Beautiful movie about the hardships of teenagers who have been abused in some way. Great performances from all characters. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Great ensemble acting but the Dogme 95 style hurts the film's impetus. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Manic

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