Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Manic is a depressing movie about a depressing subject: Teenagers on whom society has given up. Confined to a mental facility, these kids and their caretakers struggle every day to try to make sense of their lives and their situations.

The main character is Lyle (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). We are introduced to him as he is dragged into this situation, screaming for his mother to save him, to tell "them" that he's "not crazy". But the mother can only watch, hopelessly. She knows this is the right thing to do, that Lyle's violent anger will only get him into further trouble, if he doesn't get help.

Once in the institution, we are introduced to the other teens in his group. Lyle's roommate Kenny (Cody Lightning) is not quite thirteen and has the saddest eyes you've ever seen. Quiet and untrusting, Kenny keeps to himself and we can't help but wonder how he ended up here. Later we'll find out that there's much more to this sad boy than meets the eye. Chad (played by co-screenwriter Michael Bacall) suffers from manic depression. He does what he can to try to avoid taking the medicines they give him to keep him controlled. Tracy (Zooey Deschanel) wakes up screaming most nights and admits that she's there in order to "work on her self esteem". Mike (Elden Hensen) is the most outgoing of the group. He readily admits to thriving on the anger and violence that dominates his world.

Trying to help the kids is Dr. David Monroe. Played beautifully by Don Cheadle (who I think is amazing no matter what role he's given), Dr. Monroe is almost completely beaten down by this job. He cares deeply for these kids, and wants to help them, but he knows that most of these kids will be in and out of institutions of one type or another for the rest of their lives. But he goes on, trying his best to get through to them. To help them see that no matter what circumstances beyond their control led to them being here, that in the end, it's their own choice to change their ways, or not. Though most of these kids were neglected or abused children, no one forced them to turn to violence, or to self-mutilation, or to drugs. They made those decisions themselves, and as such, they can choose to change.

The movie takes place nearly entirely inside the drab rooms of the institution. The kids are either in their group therapy sessions, or they're hanging out together during recreation time. It's during the group sessions that, with Dr. Monroe's urgings, they start to open up a little bit, and we get to learn more about the kids, and what brought them to this place. It's during one of these sessions when we learn the details about the act of violence that brought Lyle here. Previously we only knew that he brutally beat a kid with a baseball bat. It's during one of these sessions that we not only learn why he did it, but we learn how Lyle now feels about that act. The session gives us great insight into his character.

Most of the movie is filmed with a hand-held digital video camera. The result is some extremely shaky camera work and very extreme close-ups. In particular, we frequently focus in on the speaker's mouth, and the listener's eyes during the therapy sessions. The movie has the look and feel of a documentary, rather than a fictional movie. This effect will turn off many viewers. Especially the shakiness of the camera work. I have to say, I'm not a fan of that technique, especially when it's used throughout nearly the entirety of this 100 minute movie.

What I did like about this movie is its brutal honesty. It sugar-coats nothing. It provides what I feel is a realistic portrayal of some very disturbed teens, and the institution that can only do so much to help them. I later learned that most of the extras used in the movie were teenagers that had actually been hospitalized for depression. I suppose that added to the movie's realistic feel.

And just as in real life, there is no perfect ending here. The kids don't all magically "find themselves" and go home to loving families. To have ended that way would have been an injustice to a film that tries to be realistic. That's not to say that it's all bad in the end. No, just as in real life, there are ups and downs.

This movie is rated R for adult content, strong language, and a small amount of drug use. However, despite the stories we hear about abuse and violence in these kids' lives, very little is actually shown.

See this movie if you're in the mood for a serious, realistic look at some very troubled teens, and at the ways our institutions try to help them.


Recommended: Yes

Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age