Netflix’s new limited series “Maniac” is like “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” combined with “Inception” while being a “Superbad” reunion.
The mini-series, directed by the man behind the first season of “True Detective” and “Beasts of No Nation” Cary Joji Fukunaga, follows Jonah Hill and Emma Stone as two strangers who are both in deep depressions. Hill plays Owen, the key witness in his older brother’s upcoming court trial, who is believed to be schizophrenic. Stone plays Annie, who has become a drug addict after causing her sister’s death in a car accident. Both are accepted into a drug trial that, with a combination of 3 pills, aims to cure all mental illnesses.
Jonah Hill and Emma Stone star in Netflix’s “Maniac.” Photo courtesy of uproxx.com
“Maniac” takes place in the near future, but has an 80’s aesthetic with now out of date computers and graphics populating the world. This has led some to describe the mini-series’s tone as retro-futuristic. This only adds to tis uniqueness.
Justin Theroux plays Dr. Mantleray, one of the creators of the drug, and works alongside Dr. Fujita, played by “Ex Machina” costar Sonoya Mizuno. They’ve created a special computer named GRTA who goes into the patients’ subconscious with them. GRTA is inspired by Dr. Mantleray’s mother, Gertie, and both the computer and its real life counterpart are played by Sally Field in a fun and quirky role.
The show deals with mental illness and surrealism. It’s comedic, but most of its comedy comes from absurdism; it never makes the characters’ mental illnesses the butt of a joke.
After starring together in 2007’s “Superbad” Emma Stone and Jonah Hill reteam for “Maniac” on Netflix. Photo courtesy of NPR.org
As Owen and Annie delve further into the 3 pills (A, B and C), they start to envision alternate lives and after GRTA malfunctions, their subconsciouses become linked and they share the same visions. For an episode or two, the pair become a married couple living in Long Island trying to kidnap a lemur. In another, they attend a seance in the 1940s. Deeper into the ten episode mini-series, Annie envisions herself as an elf seemingly out of “Game of Thrones” and Owen becomes a gangster who looks shockingly like Post Malone.
Jonah Hill on the set of “Maniac” looking more like Post Malone than anyone expected him to. Photo courtesy of People.com
“Maniac” is definitely not for everyone. I’m sure many people will find it too weird, too strange, too out there for their tastes, which is totally valid. However, I strongly recommend everyone give it a try. Be warned, the first episode or two may seem a little slow, but once they enter the facility and begin the drug trial, it becomes perfectly absurd, dark, deep and surprisingly moving.
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