Manchester by the Sea
Lee Chandler: "I can't beat it. I can't beat it."
"Manchester by the Sea" is
directed by Kenneth Lonergan ("Margaret", "You Can Count on
Me") and stars Casey Affleck as Lee Chandler, Lucas Hedges as Patrick
Chandler, Michelle Williams as Randi, Kyle Chandler as Joe Chandler, C.J.
Wilson as George, Kara Hayward as Silvie, Anna Baryshnikov as Sandy, Gretchen
Mol as Elise Chandler, Heather Burns as Jill, and Matthew Broderick as Jeffrey.
Lee Chandler goes back to his hometown of
Manchester, Massachusetts after his brother, Joe Chandler, dies of cardiac
arrest. Because of this devastating event, Joe's son, Patrick, is needed to be
looked after until he turns 18. Lee, being caught off guard as being his now
guardian, is opposed to the idea of moving from Boston where he works and lives
to Manchester. A grim past has kept him out of his hometown and now he has to
figure out how to deal with either being his nephew's guardian or finding him
another person that can look after him.
"Manchester by the Sea" has been
a movie with buzz surrounded by it due to the authenticity and rawness of the
performances in it. That statement has not been more true as compared to all of
the films this year. I'm not bagging on any other film with fantastic
performances by actors and actresses; however, when I look back at all the
films that I've seen this year, I don't think I've been so moved by an ensemble
such as "Manchester by the Sea". I may have had similar emotions
during "Moonlight" and "A Monster Calls", but as an
ensemble goes, I believe "Manchester by the Sea" takes the cake.
Casey Affleck won the Golden Globe for good reason and will quite possibly win
the Oscar for best actor. The way he portrays a damaged character is almost
baffling to what I could see happen in real life. He puts a horrific incident
in the back of his mind, not forgetting about it, but wanting to. It's powerful
and moving especially when having to take care of his nephew brings that event
to the forefront of his mind. Lucas Hedges plays off of Casey Affleck's
performance incredibly well considering he is only 20-years-old. Michelle
Williams, who plays Lee Chandler's ex-wife, also portrays a heartbroken woman
who, I think, has one of the most investing scenes in all of the 2016 films.
All I can say is that "Manchester by the Sea" is one of those films
that is so touching and tragic almost entirely because of how talented this
cast is on screen.
With a great cast, comes a great director.
I've got to give to Kenneth Lonergan for leading a team made of pure talent
through a story that tears your soul into pieces. I mean that in a good way.
He's a magician behind the camera and on screen as well. He also wrote the
screenplay (while still amazing, I believe "La La Land" stole the
Golden Globe honor for best screenplay). The language and the flow of
conversations is all too real. I'm close to defining the screenplay as soap
opera, but f***ing good soap opera. Lee Chandler's graphic, disheartening, but
organic situation calls for a screenwriter who doesn't go overboard into
silliness and still doesn't leave a viewer unresponsive to certain emotions.
With a film that deals with the death of a father and the potential adoption
that an uncle doesn't want to deal with, "Manchester by the Sea"
could have been a throw-away film with no attention. Luckily, it wasn't that.
Considering all the films I have seen in 2016, Kenneth Lonergan has created a
script that has exceeded all other scripts this past year. He's truly one of a
kind when it comes to organic communication on screen. I did, however, found
myself a bit bored when people weren't talking and/or conveying their thoughts
through action. The cinematography may have been a little too raw for my taste
almost feeling like B-roll of a small quaint town in Massachusetts.
"Manchester by the Sea" is a
cast-led film with a director at the helm that knows his s**t. I admire the
hell out of everything that this film provides (mostly tears), but I think that
the most views it will get in the future years to come is in cinema classes.
Now, I don't want to take anything away from how beautifully sad this film is.
I recommend it to anyone who is in need for a good film, for the time being.
"Manchester by the Sea is a fantastic film with real and emotional
performances that you won't get in many other movies that came out this past
year. If anything, it'll give you a good excuse to cry.
4.6/5
PRO
- Excellent performance by cast
- Rawness to story
- Script is one of the best of 2016 and of recent memory
- Kenneth Lonergan's directing
CON
- Boring at times in conjunction with cinematography
"Manchester by the Sea" is rated R for language
throughout and some sexual content
Click here to watch the
trailer
"Manchester by the Sea" is in theaters everywhere
now
