Directed by:
Kenneth LonerganScreenplay:
Kenneth LonerganCinematography:
Jody Lee LipesComposer:
Lesley BarberCast:
Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, Kyle Chandler, Michelle Williams, C.J. Wilson, Heather Burns, Tate Donovan, Josh Hamilton, Matthew Broderick, Gretchen Mol (more)VOD (1)
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Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) has his life turned upside down when his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) dies suddenly and leaves his son Patrick (Lucas Hedges) all alone. Though reluctant at first, Lee feels he must accept his brother's wishes and become Patrick's legal guardian. This involves Lee returning to his hometown of Manchester in Massachusetts and facing all the complications that come with it, including his estranged ex-wife Randi (Michelle Williams) and certain members of the local community. Lee grapples with his new role as a father figure to Patrick and tries to support the young man with his problems, while still contending with his own. (Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
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Reviews (13)
Lonergan is an amazing screenwriter. The compositionality of the film, the work with ordinariness, with economical dialogues, with what is to be shown up close, or what to observe from a distance through a hint - masterful. The directing struggles a bit with the exaggerated ceremony of selected moments, when Lonergan suddenly helps himself with a mournful Händel and decelerators. But he never takes its feet out from under it, in the best moments his focused and laconic leadership of the actors and watching the routine of the fading (and still present) tragedy is extremely strong. Manchester by the Sea has the ability to constantly slide toward pathos, but it never does so. It feels sparing, despite the fact that behind the main character is a drama almost ancient, behind which we can clearly perceive the script design. But Lonergan can handle it. He does not abuse misery, and the chemistry between Affleck, Hedges and the supporting characters is completely physically perceptible in every shot. A film about the difficult art of mourning, about the inability to accept wounds and return to where one cannot forget the past. I look forward to watching it again, and it’s the most impressive American indie since Boyhood.
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Formal austerity, characters that are difficult to penetrate and even more difficult to leave, the impossibility of communication and escape from one's own past, from one's own life. An excellently constructed script that, by gradually revealing the past, allows us to slowly become attached to the main character, with whom we also seem to be searching for a glimmer of hope in the bleak psychological darkness. Casey Affleck's performance is once again chillingly convincing and depressing, but the young Hedges or, for those few minutes, the mesmerizing Michelle Williams are not far behind. To my complete satisfaction, it lacks a slightly steadier pace, and at times I didn't entirely agree with the onslaught of the pervasive depression that tests the flow of tear ducts at the expense of maintaining pure authenticity. That said, the impression is very intense and the ending cinematically beautiful, life is a ungrateful bitch and Lonergan has an apt balladic way of telling it. 80%
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With exaggeration and in big quotation marks it’s Nocturnal Animals for the lower middle-class or country people. It's slow, weaving and painful (in the spirit of Eastwood's films), playing out several plot levels and exposing painful life events and decisions, or the inability to cope with them, but it is more oversimplified and easier to read. The most interesting thing about it is that it is paradoxically so direct and non-cinematic, because half of the scenes are without music and with so much authenticity and energy that it feels like your next-door neighbour is living the story. A cinematic event, no doubt, just not for everyone and it will have to mature a bit more, but a must-see for film scholars.
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A painful punch right to the heart. A film whose author must be on the same frequency as I, because I understood every scene. Everything was in its place, everything made sense. It’s been a long time since I felt 137 minutes passing so fast, even though on paper they should have dragged (and judging by the comments, they did drag for many people).
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The stroller scene is so powerful and realistic that it seems as though it’s not acted at all. The entire film is based on
realism; it is an unusually detailed visit to a certain place, its atmosphere and way of life, an insight into the privacy and
intimacy of its inhabitants. With the main character, we experience a crazy drama without the creators trying to make us
sympathize with him (on the contrary, he is an irresponsible yokel). The film is extraordinary thanks both to the acting
performances and the depiction of everyday life, which is something that’s not often seen in movies (e.g. a great,
seemingly unnecessary scene involving the search for a parked car).
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