Manic

Year: 2001
Director: Jordon Melamed
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Don Cheadle, Zooey Deschanel

Before the Dark Knight Rises. Before the New Girl. Before (500) Days of Summer.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel were just a couple of 20 year old kids acting in an uncomfortably compelling Indie film about a Juvenile Mental Institution.

Manic (and it's tagline "You Can't Escape Yourself") is about a young man named Lyle (Gordon-Levitt) with extremely violent outbursts who is sent to a mental hospital. I won't say why, for the shocking scenes where his violent erupts are one of the crucial elements that make the movie. There he is forced to interact with fellow patients (one of which is self-mutilator, Tracy (Deschanel)) and attend weekly group sessions led by Dr. Monroe (Cheadle).

This film comments on the real problems of mental illnesses and the impact society has on their condition.

It's dark. It's serious. It's real.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film and it was when I added Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel to my favorite actors list. They've been there ever since.

Score: B+

Adam

Year: 2009
Director: Max Mayer
Starring: Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher

I'm back guys! After almost a half of a year of class, work, and overall lack of inspiration I have decided to get back to watching some flicks and sharing them you guys. I want to ease back into it, so I'm going to go with an favorite of mine that shouldn't be too hard to review.

ADAM is just a beautifully crafted movie. It's already apparent I'm a sucker for Indie Romantic Comedies, but I become obsessed if said movie is also original and intelligent.

The film is about a school teacher, Beth Buchwald (Byrne), meets and begins a relationship with a man living in her apartment building. Simple enough right? Well the intriguing, and truly charming, catch is that Adam suffers from Asperger's Syndrome which is a form of Autism. The two characters both partake in a very unfamiliar experiment with their relationship that is shaped and forged throughout the film.

It truly is a wonderful film. The writing is tremendous and the acting is spot on. Dancy's portrayal of someone suffering with Asperger's is captivating.

Score: B+