"Maniac" (Netflix) Review: a clever end is needed for more – Spoilers

[Notedelarédaction:Larevuesuivantecontient[Editor'sNote:Thefollowingreviewcontains[Notedelarédaction:Larevuesuivantecontient[Editor’sNote:Thefollowingreviewcontainsspoilers for the limited Netflix series, "Maniac", including the ending.]

"Maniac" is an experience in itself. The genres, tones and structure of the story of the creator Patrick Somerville and the 10-part limited series of director Cary Fukunaga make it a story that requires careful inspection, while Annie (Emma Stone) and Owen (Jonah Hill) team up for a moving story. helps justify the time needed to study it.

Is this successful? Yes and no, but more often leaning towards the first. As noted in IndieWire's spoiler-free review, "Maniac" lacks finesse to effortlessly convey its deeper meanings, but the on-screen variety intrigues in itself. At the end of the series, many pieces click in place – but not as you might think. The basic story ends, certainly, but few visible clues and seemingly obsolete stories (which could be forgotten in the whirlwind of information) win callbacks, while other quirks are not exactly explained, special moments to better explain their existence.

Like the disordered spirits of his characters, "Maniac" is complex and overlaps. Thoughts bounce back to create odd connections and beautiful collisions, or, as Dr. Mantleray would say, "an infinite orgy of matter and energy rubbing, bumping and crashing together." All these connections create an attractive link not only end of the story, but also between story and audience. To analyze the results, it takes more than a few questions and a diagnostic impression.

So let's try. Consider this as a proximity test: a crosscheck of collected data that helps everyone to make reflections for the final delivery. Most importantly, remember: I am a friend and it's normal.

Emma Stone and Jonah Hill in "Maniac"

Michele K. Short / Netflix

So, what has happened?

Frankly, Owen and Annie conquer their demons. Owen learns to accept who he is and to settle for that person, while Annie treats the loss of her sister and advances. In fact, they finish the drug trial, leave the institution and separate. Owen, who still fears his brain is doing it, walks away from Annie for fear of indulging in another illusion. Annie, who is concerned about correcting the mistakes of the past, goes to see her father who tells her that she needs a friend like Owen.

Only then will she look for him, discovering her former dream the thinking buddy is stuck in an institution. Owen told the truth at his brother's trial (but only because the video evidence was undeniable), and Jed (Billy Magnussen) kept his promise to mentor Owen for crimes serious enough to be thrown into a insane asylum. But Annie convinces him that he has lived, that he will not spoil their friendship, and the reality that matters is in their relationship. "You know me," she says, and recognizing that's true is what leads Owen to get into new clothes and go out. They leave with plans to go to Salt Lake City, UT, and see where things are going from there.

Oh, and for Dr. Mantleray? He is left with Dr. Fujita (Sonoya Mizuno) and his bitchin car. They are out of work, but he is a little closer to his mother and the talking television suggested that they could help a "personal" project. (This strange excitement stands out even more when we remember that "Maniac" is a limited series and that Season 2 is not a guarantee). More importantly, even though they destroyed the GRTA (computer), they think their work was significant. It's good. After all that they did, both deserve a win.

Justin Theroux and Sally Field in "Maniac"

Michele K. Short / Netflix

Did the test work?

When Owen and Annie finish the drug trial, Dr. Mantleray greets them and says, "It's a complete success. Congratulations! You are healed. Of course, that means (at least partially) as a joke: immediately after Mantleray told Annie that she's better now, he's called an "idiot" and his project is declared "wasted" by their boss , a TV of the 50s with a deep voice and a sense of decent humor.

But … was it a loss? This is largely what you choose to believe. On one side, Owen and Annie are better off than before the trial begins. They approached their real problems in a healthier way after the trial. Annie excused herself immediately from the receptionist that she was having it singed and returned the money stolen from her father. She became a best friend of Owen, saving him from a life of doubt and loneliness. Owen, meanwhile, did well in court and tried to do what was right for his own mental health. In the end, he is happy, and seeing Owen's true smile (instead of his many different dream versions) is a breakthrough in itself.

On the other hand, the final shot is strangely reminiscent of "The Graduate," and Ben's and Elaine's falling bliss is lost in the long hold on Owen and Annie. Fukunaga's catches last just long enough for their big smiles to vanish between the ecstasy of escape and the reality of their unknown future. Owen, after all, is not indisputably cured. He knows himself well enough to realize that his disorder will continue to hurt his future relationships. That's why he isolates himself from Annie in the first place. It is only after having assured him that his unpredictable mood swings will not be a problem, he agrees to run away with her and, like the rest of their lives, it could be a temporary blessing for persistent problems.

The best version of "Maniac" balances both beliefs as well. A realistic and realistic starting point is that these two people had a meaningful learning experience and better understood who they were in the end. It does not matter whether the pills worked from a chemical or neurological point of view, it does not matter, considering how they created illusions with a purpose similar to therapy. Owen and Annie have been forced to confront their problems head on, and as long as they do not back down, they may be able to forge a better future. If viewers want to believe in the wacky powers of Dr. Mantleray's mad science, they certainly can, but even for a series on repairing the human brain, he's not going to tell you how to think.

OK, but what is it with the hawk?

Among the many curiosities of the imagination of Owen and Annie – the world of elves "Lord of the Rings" – motivated by the love of his sister's fantasy films, the hallway of the Consulate – Owen turning into a hawk is perhaps the decisive moment for viewers. This is when "Maniac" goes too far or enters another area of ​​glorious inventiveness.

Of course, the transformation stems from Owen's earlier story at the family dinner, when his brothers remember he took care of a wounded hawk. They make fun of him, but he clearly loved this bird after treating it for months. All the brothers were interested in how the hawk affected them (he ate one of their pets), just as Owen was concerned about whether or not he would embarrass the family. So for Owen to become a hawk to enter Annie's fantasy world, well, that makes as much sense as the rest of the show.

Bonus Tip: Do not let the Netflix player ignore the end credits of the episode. There is a special audio signal from the first episode about what deflects the meaning of the hawk.

Wait, wait: Jed did what ?!

Oh yes, the big question has been teased all season long. Until the end, it seemed that viewers would never get a definitive answer to the question of why Jed was going to be tried, but the last episode provided a clear and disturbing video sequence of what's going on. 39 is passed. Jed pee on his colleague. He may have done more than that, but considering the length of the video and the question put to Owen during the preparation of the trial – "Have you ever seen your brother act in a consensual or non-consensual urination? " how he claimed his twisted power.

But what does it matter? Mean?

There are dozens of interpretations to remove from "Maniac". Given that Dr. Mantleray is fighting therapy – he brags in the welcome video, his new treatment "will definitely replace old-fashioned talk therapy" – argument for ancestral practice. After all, Mama Mantleray (a divine Sally Field) is clearly the smartest person in the room at all times. Still others may reject the mother / son story as a strictly personal account of a sensitive boy overcoming perceived trauma (or at least overcoming his own resentment toward his mother).

Those who are looking strictly for Owen's journey can find meaning in his pursuit of satisfaction, rather than seeking a new life on every corner. Others might see an innocent man corrupted by a powerful family. Annie had to deal with her own family problems, understand her role in her sister's death, and know how to best communicate with her parent who is in the present.

But for the larger themes – the purpose of a soul, the construction of the mind, whether happiness can be conceived or not – the best definition that the series provides comes from the outset. "Maniac" wants to be as adept in his evolution between all his ideas, his themes and his tones as Theroux is balancing seriousness, humor and fear in Dr. Mantleray's first narration. "There would be no life without a collision of celestial bodies," he says before "returning to our amoeba" and finding that his very creation could be a coincidence or be inevitable. He goes on to say that all these "forces of nature" demonstrate "the infinite potential of our relationships" and that "this truth also extends to the human heart".

For Mr. Mantleray and "Maniac" as a whole, the links are survival. By showing how these two souls meet under extremely unpredictable circumstances, the Somerville and Fukunaga series illustrate how happiness – the meaning of life, some say – is the result of a meeting, a bond and a relationship. a continuous contact. Everything that "rub, bang and cringe" does not have to be sexual (clearly not for Annie and Owen), but it has to be dynamic and to love someone, you have to first love yourself. These simple ideas sometimes escape control, while the author and the director populate their universe with so many different connections that it may seem too chaotic. This is perhaps the goal: to reproduce the madness of life before reminding viewers the simple truth. Connections are important. They can be all that matters, even if so many others clutter your world.

Grade: B +

"Maniac" is currently showing on Netflix.

S & # 39; register: Stay on top of the latest news from film and television! Sign up for our information letters by e-mail here.