Through the lens of the film Manic, Social Work student Fern gently explores how anger, vulnerability, and the courage to seek help can become pathways to deeper self-understanding and compassionate growth.
🌱 Introduction
As a social work student, I recently analysed the 2001 film Manic and unexpectedly gained new understanding about two emotional concepts that had long troubled me: anger and seeking help. This analysis process changed how I think about these emotions and showed me how powerful film analysis can be as a tool for personal growth.
Manic tells the story of a group of teenagers receiving treatment in a psychiatric hospital. The main character, Lyle, is sent to the hospital after a violent incident. This film doesn’t follow a traditional hero’s journey or offer a neat ending. Instead, it honestly shows these young people’s daily struggles, treatment processes, and relationships with each other.
I want to share three important life lessons from analysing this film, and how this method of film analysis can become an effective tool for personal growth.
🎬 Why I Chose Film as a Tool for Personal Growth
Film as a storytelling medium has a unique psychological influence. Neuroscience research by Hasson and colleagues has found that when watching films, different viewers’ brain activity shows inter-subject correlation, meaning we have similar neural responses when watching the same movie. This synchronization makes film an ideal tool for exploring shared human experiences.
After watching the film for the first time, I found myself having strong emotional reactions to certain characters. At the same time, the rich visual and audio elements triggered deep memories. When I began writing my analysis, these reactions drove me to repeatedly rewatch specific scenes, trying to understand why these characters’ choices affected me so deeply.
On another level, I think the film gave me a safe distance. I could explore heavy topics like anger, despair, and trauma, but I knew I could always press pause and walk away for a cup of tea. This safe unsafety allowed me to think deeply about issues that might be too uncomfortable to face directly in real life.
😠 Understanding the Value of Difficult Emotions
When analysing how teenagers expressed anger in the film, I realized how much society stigmatizes many emotions. Young people’s anger is often simply labelled as problem behaviour, but through my film analysis, I felt that anger is often their only way to express pain, seek attention, or protect their dignity.
The film shows several scenes of characters’ anger. When emotions are released outward, anger responds to humiliation and betrayal, serving as currency to earn respect from peers. When it turns inward, anger becomes a way of self-punishment, used to break through emotional numbness.
This discovery made me reconsider my attitude toward negative emotions. I used to always try to quickly solve or suppress uncomfortable feelings. But through watching and analysing Manic, I began to wonder what my emotions were trying to tell me. I started seeing them as important information carriers and as reactions that have value and function.
For example, when I feel angry, I pay attention to this feeling and usually discover it’s because my viewpoint was ignored or my values were challenged. This change improved my ability to care for myself and made me a better listener.
🛣️ Redefined Freedom and Seeking Help
The most moving scene in Manic happens in the final ten minutes. The main character Lyle, who had always wanted to escape the hospital, finally gets his chance during a chaotic moment. He runs across golden dried grass toward the road. However, when faced with a bus that could take him to freedom, he ultimately chooses to turn around and walk back to the hospital.
This choice changed my understanding of freedom. Most stories describe freedom as breaking free from restraints, escaping limitations, being able to do whatever we want. But I realized that true freedom is having the ability to make choices that serve our long-term interests, even when those choices don’t seem free in the moment.
On the other hand, this scene also changed my understanding of seeking help. I always saw seeking help as passive behaviour that meant admitting failure, depending on others, and making excuses for my own powerlessness.
Research shows that Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds face significant barriers when seeking mental health services. Some cultures have built-in stigma against mental health issues, which can make it difficult for people to seek help and may also cause shame within families.
As an international student in Australia, I found myself influenced by these cultural expectations too. Shame made me delay taking the first step toward seeking help for a long time. Therefore, watching this film gave me a sense of spiritual connection. Lyle’s return to the hospital meant acknowledging the complexity of problems and accepting the non-linear nature of recovery. This requires great courage and showed me that seeking help can actually be the most proactive act of taking personal responsibility.
This insight changed my expectations for personal growth. I began to see seeking counselling and sharing concerns with friends as normal and necessary ways of caring for myself. Therefore, every time I lose courage, I think of the film’s scene—Lyle returning to the hospital was the moment when a person truly began taking responsibility for their life.
💔 You Don’t Need to Be So Hard on Yourself
As a social work student, I cannot ignore another important character’s experience in the film. Thirteen-year-old Kenny is Lyle’s roommate, extremely quiet, and barely communicates with anyone. When his stepfather comes to visit, the stepfather tries to harm him in the hospital, and the hospital system briefly fails to provide effective protection. This place that should have been a safe harbor instead became a site of secondary trauma.
Kenny’s experience reveals a harsh reality: personal struggles often have roots in larger structural problems. I began to see these situations with different eyes through studying social work. Kenny’s difficulties actually come from many levels, including family violence, disconnection between hospital and community services, and society’s neglect of mental health issues. These are all things a 13-year-old child cannot control.
This reminds me of some moments as an international student. Sometimes in classroom discussions or social situations, I feel out of place and start wondering if my personality or abilities aren’t suitable for living and studying here. I also blame myself for not being outgoing enough. But analysing Kenny’s situation made me reconsider that this discomfort might not entirely be my personal flaw, but rather a natural reaction in the process of cultural adaptation.
In addition, now when I see friends feeling down, I no longer rush to say “be more positive” or “look on the bright side.” I wonder if they’re facing environmental stress recently, and start conversations based on these factors. This perspective makes me more patient and reduces a lot of unnecessary self-blame.
🧠 Every Field Has a Unique Perspective
As a social work student, I naturally focus on interpersonal relationships, systemic factors, and the interaction between individuals and their environment. But I realize that different fields offer equally valuable lenses. Where social work might explore systemic barriers, psychology could examine emotional regulation strategies, art might analyse the director’s visual language, and business could question resource allocation.
Our professional training gives us unique tools for understanding what we see on screen. What’s important is that our existing knowledge and interests can become unique entry points for understanding film. The most interesting insights often come from thinking across disciplinary boundaries.
When we analyse films, both our personal reactions and professional perspectives matter. Pay attention to which moments make you uncomfortable, which characters you identify with, and what feelings surface. These personal responses are valuable data. Then bring in your professional lens and ask yourself what your field would reveal about this story. How might the theories you’ve learned explain what you’re seeing?
If you’re interested in trying this approach, I’d suggest starting with a film that genuinely moves you. Here’s what I found most valuable: don’t just think through your reflections. Write them down or talk them through with someone. When I wrote my analysis of Manic, connections emerged that I hadn’t noticed while just watching. The act of putting feelings into words helped me move from vague discomfort to specific understanding. Whether you keep a journal, discuss with a friend, or create voice memos, this step transforms passive viewing into active learning. You might discover something new about both the film and yourself.
📚 References
Hasson, U., Landesman, O., Knappmeyer, B., Vallines, I., Rubin, N., & Heeger, D. J. (2008). Neurocinematics: The Neuroscience of Film. Projections (New York, N.Y.), 2(1), 1–26.
Radhamony, R., Cross, W. M., Townsin, L., & Banik, B. (2023). Perspectives of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) community members regarding mental health services: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 30(4), 850–864.
Editor’s Note:
Manic (2001) explores complex and emotionally intense themes including trauma, mental health, and institutional care. If you choose to watch the film, please be mindful of your emotional readiness and take care of yourself as needed. Fern’s reflective method—using film as a tool for personal insight—can be applied to any story that resonates with you. It doesn’t require engaging with difficult content to be meaningful or transformative.