The people who said the direction in this movie looked like a student film are spot on. That's probably the reason that Mr. Melamed hasn't directed another film since. With that said, almost all of the performances are terrific (especially the ones you'd expect, JGL, Cheadle), and the story keeps your interest for the duration. A worthwhile experience overall (probably best if you just close your eyes, though).

In an attempt to be "artsy", Manic comes off as just angry. At the center of the film is a bunch of angry kids, but they remain static throughout the duration and at the end...yup, still angry. So the actors did a fine (and in some instances great) job of playing really flat characters. The camerawork was totally unnecessary and amateurish. Hand-held work is great when it fits. It definitely made no sense with this material.

Very convincing performance from all actors. Too bad that's only outstanding thing about this movie.

Felt like a student film. The camera moves so fast a lot of things are in a blur, which I'm sure is intentional, for effect, but after a while, it just gets annoying, and it's impossible to make out what's going on most of the time.

Is it accurate ? I don't know, can't really judge... but it's brilliantly acted, that's for sure.

Great acting for the most part but the camera shakiness was annoying and it's hilarious that Hollywood thinks people say 'fuck' at least 2 times per sentence. It's distracting and unrealistic, honestly. But good movie overall.

Gets the point across in a straight-up, honest way. Great acting all around.

This film presents lifes of the residents of a youth asylum, for temporary care, and it does so in realistic way. The camera angles give it a documentary feel, and in the end the films focal point is made with symbolism.