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Manchester by the Sea (2016)

**** (out of 4)

After the sudden death of his brother, Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) must return to the town that he has been running from in order to take care of his 16-year-old nephew (Lucas Hedges). It doesn't take long for the haunting past to catch up with Lee who might just not be able to face it.

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA is an extremely quiet movie but it's also a very powerful one. I'm not going to say anything else about the plot as I don't want to give anything away but it's certainly a very deep and emotional gem that has an extremely good story as well as some magnificent and emotionally charged performances. This certainly isn't a movie that's going to have a wide appeal because it's just too depressing for that but those willing to sit through it will find it to be quite rewarding.

Writer-director Kenneth Lonergan does a magnificent job with the screenplay and I especially liked the structure that the film goes for. We're given a few flashbacks throughout the early part of the film to give us enough information to explain why the Lee character is the way he is. When we first meet him he's somewhat of a jerk and you can just feel that there's some hidden pain in him. I really thought the film used the flashbacks perfectly to show us what caused Lee to get this way and the film plays out perfectly well as all of the past comes back. We've seen several films deal with a character battling the past but I must say that this here is one of the best examples of a man being haunted and finally having to face his demons.

As great as the screenplay is, you've also got some terrific performances to help pull out all of the emotion. Hedges is extremely good in the role of the nephew and Kyle Chandler is terrific in his few scenes as the brother. The always dependable Michelle Williams' turns in another remarkable performance as the ex-wife who has her own set of pain. The film, however, clearly belongs to Affleck who turns in the greatest performance of his career. He talks in a very quiet manor and sometimes he doesn't say anything at all but you can just look in Affleck's eyes and see the pain. In the way he walks you can see the weight of the world holding him down. This is a very emotional performance and a deep and haunting one yet the actor pulls it off without a problem.

The film also benefits from a terrific score, some beautiful cinematography and there's no question that the setting is perfect for the story. As I said, this is a mighty depressing film so I can see why some might want to tap out early on but those willing to sit through it will certainly be rewarded with a powerful film with some of the best acting of the year.

Lee Chandler is made to take on his nephew after his brother dies an untimely death, Lee is incredibly depressed and affected by his past.

As the film develops, so does the relationship between Lee and Patrick, we learn why Lee is the way he is, and the events that helped to shape him, and make him such a complex figure.

I haven't seen a film like this for some time, it's purely melodrama, but to it's credit, it's very good. Take a tip from Me, if you're in a mood, or feeling down, do not watch this, it will compound your low spirits. If you're up for an engaging, moving two hours on intense character play, you'll find this very good.

I had absolutely no idea just how good an actor Casey Affleck is, and that's my own fault, he is absolutely tremendous throughout, he makes Lee a truly interesting guy.

The music is a real hindrance here, it detracts from the film, it isn't bad, it's just wrong for the film. Adagio in G Minor, it's a glorious piece of music, but it is so out of place, it jars uncomfortably at a key point.

It takes a little time to warm up, and for you to engage, when it does, it's an excellent film, 8/10.

I spent the first 23 years of my life living in what i regard as the original Manchester in north-west England, so I was always going to be intrigued by the title of this film. The small fishing town in Massachusetts is a character in itself and different scenes feature prominently in the cinematography.

In fact, by the time I saw the movie at the cinema, Casey Affleck had already deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his stunning - often understated - performance as Lee Chandler, a Boston janitor who has to return to his home town where he is astonished to find that, following the death of his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler), he has been given custody of his 16 year old nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges).

The story starts with scenes of Lee's life in Boston and it looks like this is a man with immense attitude. Only later do we learn, though one of many flash-backs, that this is not attitude, buy grief, guilt and white-hot anger. Affleck is rarely off the screen and gives a powerful and moving portrayal of a man that just cannot come to terms with his loss. This is not "About A Boy" (2002) where the youngster softens the man; this is more "Ordinary People" (1980) where deep pain has no ultimate resolution.

Among so many memorable scenes, two stand out: one in which very little is said and the music of Albinoni's Adagio has rarely been more heart-rending and another in which Joe meets his wife Randi (Michelle Williams) when little more is said but grief is shown to be unbridgeable. Writer and director Kennth Lonergan has given us a genuine tour de force.

Being familiar with director Kenneth Lonergan's previous work, one knew what to expect from his chosen themes and his style. 'Manchester By the Sea' has Lonergan written all over it, and while it was not a "love" film it was an "appreciate" one.

It is an uneven film and understandably polarising (people will love the acting, inspired use of music and the mix of humour and pathos but others will find it overlong, slow and rambling), with a first half that will alienate some. There are many things that impress, especially the acting which is what drives 'Manchester By the Sea'. This said, even if my reaction to 'Manchester By the Sea' was less (like it wasn't for me or intensely disliking it, I would have no problem with anybody saying they liked it, not the sort of person who condescends and shows a lack of maturity and respect to other people's opinions (one of my bugbears on IMDb).

Getting on to my hopefully balanced review of 'Manchester By the Sea', pointing out its flaws and merits, as said it is easy to see why 'Manchester By the Sea' is not for everybody. It is perhaps longer than necessary, some of the first half did tend to ramble and could have done with a trimming. In fact, the first half generally wasn't as interesting as the rest of the film, and likely to put people off watching any further. It did tend to be dull and meandering, the mix from flashback to present day not always clear and didn't always go anywhere. It was when the tragedy came in and the relationship between Lee and Patrick when 'Manchester By the Sea' becomes more worthwhile if stuck with.

After this point, 'Manchester By the Sea's' only faults are a few contrived moments (like the freezer scene and the at times excessive and out of place F bombs) and an ending that falls on the abrupt side.

However, 'Manchester By the Sea' has suitably picturesque scenery and is shot with a lot of atmosphere. Lonergan directs with a lot of thoughtfulness and restraint and much of the script has a good balance of humour (with some genuine belly laughs with Lee and Patrick) and pathos (the fire and funeral scenes will have one reaching for the tissues). The show-down between Lee and Randi is beautifully played and electric.

'Manchester By the Sea's' best asset is by far the acting. Lucas Hedges makes a compellingly real character out of one that could easily have been annoying, and while Michelle Williams is underused she also gives a remarkably moving performance. Kyle Chandler also impresses. 'Manchester By the Sea' is Casey Affleck's film though, Affleck is on blistering form and has rarely been better in his tough-talking and also introverted role.

Also want to mention the music, giving much intensity and poignancy to the drama with inspired use of pre-existing music. Albinoni has never been more affectingly utilised on film, his "Adagio" can be one of those over-exposed pieces of music but here added so much to the drama's emotion that it was truly beautiful and haunting. Another effective use of music was "He Shall Feed His Flock...Come Onto Him", the alto and soprano duet from Handel's 'Messiah'.

In summary, slow start but sticking with it 'Manchester By the Sea' rewards. Didn't love it, but there was enough to make it appreciate it. 7/10 Bethany Cox

After the sudden death of his older brother, Lee, played by Casey Affleck, is made legal guardian of his son Patrick. He then returns to his hometown and is forced to deal with a tragic past that separated him from his family and the community he was born and raised in.

Kenneth Lonergan is such an extraordinary and talented writer; his beautifully, and richly, textured drama draws upon the timeless themes of recovery, redemption, and the persistence of guilt in such a way that feels fresh. The emotion is never overbearing for the sake of being overbearing, rather it feels all too real, which is a credit to the writing as much as it is to the fantastic performances.

This is the 'Casey Affleck show' from beginning to end; you can just give him the 'Best Actor' Oscar right now and save everyone a whole lot of trouble. He radiates this aura of subtle magnetism so brilliantly and effortlessly; there's not a single emotion on the spectrum that goes unexploited.

As much as the film is about Lee and his internal journey from tragedy to something a lot more hopeful, it's also about his nephew, played by Lucas Hedges, who has a very bright future, and his personal struggle to cope with his father's death. Despite having a small yet significant part in the film, Michelle Williams' performance is a treasure to behold. There's one scene, in particular, where she got everyone in attendance wishing they brought a tissue.

Unlike many big-budget studio movies, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA is not afraid to make the audience work and test the viewer's patience with its constant, and unannounced, cutting between past and present, as well as its unwavering unravelling of character background and motivation. In fact, one of its best aspects is the lack of close-ups. Almost everything is filmed from afar, which reflects Lee's emotional distancing. And it's not until later where you finally find out why this guy has detached himself from the rest of the world. Then, from that point on, you're in his head; you watch the film unfold from a point-of-view almost entirely foreign to how you viewed it at first.

Regardless of the second half's slackening pace and film's familiar DNA, this is without a doubt the most personal and heart wrenching film of 2016 thus far. Maybe even the best.