Manchester By The Sea

By: John Delia

Dealing with a loss during a period of grief, the film Manchester by the Sea delivers pathos and recovery. Finding one’s way in a sea of anguish, the actors work on problems of reconciliation, understanding and compromise in this drama that drives two lives caught up in hard decisions. Nicely directed and written, it could be in contention for an Oscar.

Revealing a mystery from his past, Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) finds himself in a precarious position when he gets the bad news that his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) has died in his hometown of Manchester, Massachusetts. Lee is currently living in Boston as he had moved there to avoid reliving the heartbreak that lead him to a divorce from his wife Randi (Michelle Williams).

His 16-year-old nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges) also has a dilemma now that his father has died. Being made guardian in his brother’s will, Lee must take on the responsibility of Patrick. Although his favorite uncle, Patrick’s not ready to take orders that will upset his current situation. Both dealing with tragedy, the two become strange bedfellows. Director Kenneth Lonergan moves his film along slowly knitting the past with the present until the story finally gets sorted out.

Lonergan’s characters are very real and interesting, dealing with each person’s own misfortunes in a small town that knows everything. I like the way he mixes a coming of age story with an untimely loss that pulls two family members apart while trying to cope with change. Each of the support roles are stimulus for Lee and Patrick as we relive the missteps of the past and are dealing with the trials of present day.

Casey Affleck gives one the best performances of his career as a guilt ridden man who snaps every chance he gets to allow punishment on himself. Whether it’s a barroom brawl or a public berating, his Lee permeates with hurt and psychological denigration. It is certainly an Oscar worthy performance, but yet not a sure thing. Accepting his character’s vilification can be tough since Affleck’s a very easy going actor that hardly changes his arc and consequently the flaw. But, it’s still worth watching as he puts his anguish ridden character to the test.

In support, costar Lucas Hedges vacillates his character between interesting to ordinary. His hurting for the loss of his father comes to a head very late in the film, giving the impression that the boy is more interested in having sex his with two girlfriends than grieving. He’s more challenged with whether he can remain in Manchester than being forced to move with his uncle Lee to Boston. To make matters worse, he’s more willing to live with his estranged mother who’s a recovering alcoholic that deserted the boy just he can continue school sports, a band and sex.

While the film has been bounced around as a prospect for Best Movie of 2016, it fails to deliver the knockout punch that will separate it from the likes of Hell or High Water, Lion, A Monster Calls, Hacksaw Ridge, Deepwater Horizon or Captain Fantastic.

The movie Manchester by the Sea has been rated R for language throughout and some sexual content. There is also a couple of scenes of violence involving bar fights and the sexuality gets treated flippantly. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children to see the film as several scenes are inappropriate for youngsters.

FINAL ANALYSIS: Although it has some flaws, the film still way overshadows many others of its genre released this year. (4 out of 5 Stars)