Manchester by the Sea Review

For those of a British origin confused by the film's title, no, Manchester hasn't moved 40 miles west to the coast of England, the Manchester of the title is in fact the town of Manchester-by-the-sea in Massachusetts USA. The  town which plays host to director Kenneth Lonergan's new drama about family and loss which is set to storm awards season 2017.


Quincy in Massachusetts, and we see the day to day life of janitor Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) he's a quiet individual prone to snapping at people and picking bar fights. He receives a call which informs him that his older brother (Kyle Chandler) has passed away meaning he has to return to his home town of Manchester-by-the-sea, he later finds out that his brother has made him the guardian of his 15 year old son Paddy (Lucas Hedges).

This film has a lot of awards season buzz around it, most of it is deservedly being heaped onto the lead performance of Casey Affleck, who is unquestionably brilliant in this film. The way Lee carries himself throughout the film tells you everything you need to know about him, the way he nods or hunches his shoulders, the way he forces half smiles or blankly stares, Affleck avoids so many potential pitfalls and cliches. Lee is a man who is carrying the weight of some extreme emotional burden on his shoulders, he has placed himself in forced purgatory, a form of self persecution for something horrific that happened forcing him to leave his home town. In a spectacular, near operatic sequence where Lonergan reveals what it was that happenedm it really hits like a hammer as to why Lee is the way he is.

Lonergan is incredibly composed as a filmmaker, he's delicate and sensitive, he has the sense and presence of mind to know when to step in on a moment and when to step back from one. The way he works with his editor Jennifer Lame to put the film together should be lauded, the flashbacks featured in the film are placed in perfectly, they drop in like memories would and though never flagged up there is never a moment of confusion as to where they lie in the narrative.

This is 100% Affleck's film, but the film is also littered with very strong supporting performances. Kyle Chandler is brilliant in what few scenes he has in flashback, it hits home the sense of loss for Lee when you see the relationship he had with his brother. Michelle Williams makes a massive impact in the time she has on screen as Lee's ex-wife Randi, she's so brilliant that the film really cries out for much more of her character and more of her story, it would add as much to Lee's character as it would to the overall story. Then there's Lucas Hedges as Paddy, its a character that would be so easy to misjudge and come off as annoying, but its so effective, Paddy is your regular teenager who's mostly worried about having sex, playing sports and being in a band. It seems like he uses the situation to his advantage at first, but as the story unfolds the events begin to take their tole on him. Hedges chemistry with Affleck is electric, whats quite startling is how many laughs the interplay between the two seems to draw, but this never detracts from the emotional power punch moments. In one moment towards the end between the two, just the line "I can't beat it" and the moments after the line are monumentally tear inducing.

Lonergan is a real talent, he has managed to make a film about loss that feels emotionally honest but never morose or morbid. His sensibilities make the film and the experiences of the characters feel genuine and unforced, he's helped ably by a strong supporting cast and a lead actor who is surely now destined to be on stage holding a little gold man come February.

(Low 5 Stars)