Michael O'Neil

Manic -- After badly beating a classmate, Lyle is committed to an institution where he learns there is a thin line between 'sane' and 'insane.' Don Cheadle stars as the mental hospital's teen counselor.

In Jordan Melamad's Manic, Lyle (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is filled with rage. After badly beating a classmate during a schoolyard fight, Lyle is committed to a juvenile mental institution in lieu of criminal prosecution. Inside the hospital, Lyle encounters a group of adolescents struggling with a variety of illnesses. The troubled teens are under the watchful eye of their psychiatrist, Dave (Don Cheadle), a reformed drug addict. As these complex youths fight to overcome a series of emotionally charged events we are constantly reminded of the thin line that separates them from their ?sane? friends in suburban lives. This indie drama from IFC deals directly and candidly with the issues of teen violence and alienation among today?s youth.

In Jordan Melamad's Manic, Lyle (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is filled with rage. After badly beating a classmate during a schoolyard fight, Lyle is committed to a juvenile mental institution in lieu of criminal prosecution. Inside the hospital, Lyle encounters a group of adolescents struggling with a variety of illnesses. The troubled teens are under the watchful eye of their psychiatrist, Dave (Don Cheadle), a reformed drug addict. As these complex youths fight to overcome a series of emotionally charged events we are constantly reminded of the thin line that separates them from their ?sane? friends in suburban lives. This indie drama from IFC deals directly and candidly with the issues of teen violence and alienation among today?s youth.