Maniac

Maniac (2018) 

Multi-reality brain magic shit. Future-retro quasi 80s psychotherapy based on pills in a closed bizarre miniseries, which is hard to label. It is / is not a black (non) comedy, (non) psychological (non) drama, (non) sci-fi, (non) fantasy, Macourek (non) parody ... Which also applies to performances, there are way too comedically stylized as well as silent and captured in a dramatic way. The film makers play with genres, style and visuals in a seemingly incompatible taste mishmash à la Dog, Cat and cake. But unlike them, what is more surprising, is that a coherent functional whole come out of it. Maniac just doesn't suit everyone. Not everyone, he doesn´t suit to most of the viewers. These approaches do not alternate just episode by episode, but often rather scene by scene. It's so original that after a few episodes it can be labeled as “introverted super weirdness" that lacks (Gondry's?) playfulness but ... Despite all this, it can hit the nail the head; except for the expressive emotions and the mood of the characters, to your own surprise, you will find out that you care for the characters much more than expected. Which means a lot I mean a lot but not that much. In fact, if all those narrative meta horseplay were left out and only the foundation remained in the form of two (well-played) disturbed people looking for a way to themselves / to each other, it could have had a footage of the feature film and nothing fundamental would be absent. Which is always a problem with a series (especially closed miniseries) when its quality is reduced by superfluous paddings; however, amusing, unsettling and eccentric. (22/09/2018)