Manic

Lyle Jensen is a teenager whose anger repeatedly gets out of control. After he attacks a classmate during a baseball game, leaving him seriously injured, Lyle is sent to a juvenile psychiatric facility instead of being prosecuted. There he joins a group of adolescents with severe emotional and behavioural problems, treated under the supervision of Dr. David Monroe. Among them is Tracy, with whom Lyle forms a bond that goes beyond friendship. His violent outbursts continue, however, and he must confront where his aggression comes from.

Manic is a 2002 American drama directed by Jordan Melamed, who wrote the screenplay with Blayne Weaver and Michael Bacall. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Lyle, with Don Cheadle as Dr. Monroe, Zooey Deschanel as Tracy, Michael Bacall as Chad, Elden Henson as Michael and Cody Lightning as Kenny. The production, from Next Wave Films, assembles a credited cast of twenty-three.

The film has a rating of 6.8 out of 10 on TMDB, based on 122 votes, placing it in moderate audience favour rather than broad acclaim. Released on 22 November 2002 and running 102 minutes, it belongs to the independent American drama output of its period, and stands as the feature that introduced Melamed as a director.