Manchester by the Sea

     Manchester by the Sea is directed by Kenneth Lonergan (Margaret) and stars Casey Affleck (Gone Baby Gone) and Lucas Hedges (Moonrise Kingdom). The movie is about a down on his luck man who, after his brother unexpectedly passes away, is given the surprise of guardianship over the brother’s son.

     The best part about this movie was Casey Affleck. After supporting roles in Goodwill Hunting and the Oceans 11, 12, and 13, and blowing me away in the supremely underrated Gone Baby Gone, Affleck is slowly becoming one of the best actors of this generation and Manchester by the Sea is no exception. He was so subdued in the role it was easy to forgot I was watching an actor in a movie and not a documentary about a man’s life. Although he is unlikeable at the beginning, as the movie unravels you learn why he is the way he is and begin to feel sympathy for his character. Once awards season rolls around, I will not be surprised to hear his name called, or at least nominated in the best actor categories.

     And Affleck was not the only one delivering a masterclass performance. Hedges, Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights), and Michelle Williams (Shutter Island) were all masterclass as well in their supporting roles. I haven’t seen Hedges in anything else, but he is definitely one young actor to keep an eye on in the coming years. Chandler is seen in flashbacks and helps to ground the emotion of the movie. Williams has an emotional depth that may just earn her a nod for supporting actress nomination.

     Although the cast was incredible, the pacing of the movie was extremely slow. While clocking in at 2 hours and 17 minutes, the movie felt much longer. I’m not sure the reason for this but some of the scenes could have been cut out completely and the main focus off the movie would not have been lost. Another problem with the movie was the camerawork, or lack thereof. Often times the camera was very stationary. While I did enjoy how they let the acting do the heavy lifting, I would have appreciated if there was just a little more movement with the camera.
     The subject matter of the movie was very depressing. Affleck’s character is continually beat down and his character is given few breaks and little happiness. Those around him give him little sympathy for the hardships he has faced. Although upsetting, I appreciated that the movie had no silver lining. None of the characters are given a happy ending, which would have felt out of place in a movie like this. But rather they ended with what was necessary, a bold directorial choice that paid off in the end.

     The upsetting nature of Manchester by the Sea makes it hard to get behind, but the performances given are great enough to definitely recommend checking it out.

When should you see it?

Wait a Week