Dwain Esper's Maniac is sorta like if a wannabe art-school filmmaker tried to replicate all of the stylistic errata of great art filmmakers without first learning how to actually make a film. In short, it's like Ed Woods Jr. meets German Expressionism. The film is thoroughly incompetent with its nonsensical plot, multiple intrusive intertitles describing mental illnesses which attempt to provide dramatic gravity to the farcical goings-on, and ridiculous scenes of scantily clad women chatting about nothing in particular. But I can't fault the film for trying: there are several camera angles that I admire, I enjoyed the idea of doubled identities, and the effect with the cat's eyeball was deliciously repulsive. But Maniac fails. Hilariously so.
1/10
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