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I am continuing to watch movies Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been in. The latest was Manic, since it was available streaming from Netflix, while 10 Things I Hate About You is only available in physical disc form and will arrive at my apartment tomorrow afternoon.
Anyway. Manic is a kind of narrativeless story about a bunch of kids in a... I don't know the proper terminology. Mental health ward? It's an ensemble film, but the main character in that ensemble is Lyle, who has anger management issues that led him to nearly beat another teen to death with a baseball bat. ( I will now spoil at least 75% of the plot. )
The film is stylistically interesting. I think it was shot on video camera, mostly? Anyway, the image quality is often grainy and washed out with ambient light, very amateurish in appearance. I believe that is deliberate, since in some scenes things tighten up and are much more in focus. Scenes dealing with the counselor are almost always in focus and look almost like traditional film, while scenes with the kids fuzz in and out. I suspect this is in some ways an attempt to portray the characters' mental states.
The use of music and art is also interesting. Lyle and Chad bond over music, among other things. Sara uses art as an emotional stabilizer, and she and Chad have an argument over Van Gogh at one point that comes back in echoes twice later on. There is a persistent theme of people reaching out for connection, but often failing to properly communicate.
Anyway. I am not sure I would call Manic a good film, necessarily, but it's certainly not a bad one, and it is definitely lingering with me. I am glad I saw it.
Anyway. Manic is a kind of narrativeless story about a bunch of kids in a... I don't know the proper terminology. Mental health ward? It's an ensemble film, but the main character in that ensemble is Lyle, who has anger management issues that led him to nearly beat another teen to death with a baseball bat. ( I will now spoil at least 75% of the plot. )
The film is stylistically interesting. I think it was shot on video camera, mostly? Anyway, the image quality is often grainy and washed out with ambient light, very amateurish in appearance. I believe that is deliberate, since in some scenes things tighten up and are much more in focus. Scenes dealing with the counselor are almost always in focus and look almost like traditional film, while scenes with the kids fuzz in and out. I suspect this is in some ways an attempt to portray the characters' mental states.
The use of music and art is also interesting. Lyle and Chad bond over music, among other things. Sara uses art as an emotional stabilizer, and she and Chad have an argument over Van Gogh at one point that comes back in echoes twice later on. There is a persistent theme of people reaching out for connection, but often failing to properly communicate.
Anyway. I am not sure I would call Manic a good film, necessarily, but it's certainly not a bad one, and it is definitely lingering with me. I am glad I saw it.
