Manic, directed by Jordan Melamed, depicts conditions in a mental institution for teenagers. The director, screenwriters, and actors interacted with teens in and out of mental institutions to provide the maximum authenticity; the filming location is an abandoned wing of Camarillo State Hospital. Although One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) played a role in efforts to establish legal procedures to revaluate and release harmless mental patients, Manic falls short in raising consciousness for needed reforms in mental health. Manic instead provides an in-depth look at troubled youth who live together in Northwood Mental Institution, take pills, and engage in group therapy sessions led by a staff psychologist Dr. David Monroe (played by Don Cheadle). Similar to Girl, Interrupted (1999), parents are responsible for the self-esteem maladjustments of their children. Most attention centers on Lyle Jensen (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who one day retaliated for a boy’s nasty words, which he perceived to be humiliating, by hitting the boy with a baseball bat; remorseless, he believed that the boy “deserved” to be taught a lesson. While in the facility, Lyle lashes out a few times at Michael (played by Eldon Henson), who enjoys playing the role of a bully to provoke him, and Lyle wins in a couple of battles. When Lyle enters the facility as the newest patient, he is reluctant to divulge why he is there or to show any compassion toward the others; by the end of the film he is compassionate toward his roommate Kenney (played by Cody Lightning) and toward Tracy (played by Zooey Deschanel), a girl who cares very little about her personal appearance. Kenney is very quiet and passive throughout, clearly depressed about something, and there is no clue why he is there until his stepfather, on visiting day, tries to manhandle his stepson. Monroe then orders his stepfather to leave, and Kenny is transferred to another wing without explanation. Lyle’s battle victory over Michael prompts Chad (played by Michael Bacall) to become friendly. Chad’s guardian outside is a rich uncle, and he evidently overdosed on drugs before entering the facility. On his eighteenth birthday, which is celebrated in the film, Chad is to come into a generous annuity, and evidently by law he will be released because he is no longer a minor. However, he is so terrified of the prospect of living on his own that he uses a knife, first on himself and then on an orderly, so he will doubtless end up at an adult mental health facility for long-term care. However, Lyle obtains keys that fell out of the orderly’s pocket while Chad puts a knife to his throat. After saying goodbye to his friends, Lyle exits from the facility and goes to a bus stop. Soon, a bus stops and then goes on without him. When the film ends, where is he going? Back to the cuckoo nest? Despite the realism in portraying troubled teens, Manic lacks context and certainly gives little hope that a happier ending is possible for any of those committed to mental institutions. The legal basis for the incarceration of the children is not provided, and there are no reviews of cases by a panel of experts with a view to release. Although pills are provided, no psychiatrist is present in the film, yet the proper dosage of corrective medicines can only be determined by a psychiatrist, who in turn will rely on information recorded by nurses in charts as well as by personal observation. The visit of Kenney’s stepfather, as psychologist Monroe admits, was a mistake; the latter gave the clearance for the visit. The pressures on the psychologist, whom the film implies is on his own without much help from a psychiatrist, are skillfully portrayed in the film. The handling of Chad’s release, similarly, demonstrates that the mental health care system has gaping holes, but Manic provides no clue about who is responsible or what is to be done to fill the gaps. Although recognizing one’s demons must come before managing them, Manic shows no progress, no educational opportunities for the teenagers, and no occupational training. By inference, the lack of programs can only be due to lack of funding, which is turn is an indictment of the political management of the mental health care system that the film should have had the courage to make. MH