Movie

Manic

2002 · 102 min

A raw, claustrophobic plunge into adolescent pain, all frayed nerves and sudden violence, that still finds flickers of tenderness among damaged kids.

Directed by: Jordan Melamed
Genres: Drama
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Don Cheadle, Zooey Deschanel

Tagline: You can't escape yourself.
Overview: In lieu of prison, Lyle, a violent adolescent, is placed in a juvenile mental institution where he encounters a group of equally troubled teens. This motley crew—abused, sexually confused, violent, and yet hanging on by their grit and anger—becomes Lyle's last lifeline as he fights to find meaning in a world that seems to defy understanding.

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Directed by: Jordan Melamed
Genres: Drama
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Don Cheadle, Zooey Deschanel

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: darkstrength 3 of 3
bleakstrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 2 of 3
earneststrength 2 of 3
Pacing: slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: trauma
isolation
madness
friendship
healing
Places: hospital
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: ensemble
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language strong
Violence strong
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	3
Horror	3
Humour	2
Realism	8
Romance	3
Tension	6
Darkness	8
Complexity	5
Emotional weight	8

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