Manchester by the
Sea
Director Kenneth Lonergan who wrote and
directed one of my all-time favorite films about siblings and their midlife relationship
in the 2000 acclaimed “You Can Count on Me” (Laura Linney – Mark Ruffalo), once
again takes up both his pen and director’s chair to delve back into an obvious comfort
zone by telling his latest family oriented themed effort titled “Manchester By
The Sea”.
In “Manchester by the Sea”, we find the story
opening around a solitary Bostonian named Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck). Lee seems oddly content on the surface with simply
being a low paid janitor and laborer at a large apartment complex dealing with
an array of problems, complaints and unruly tenants on a daily basis.
Early on in the film Lee gets a phone call that
transforms his life compelling him to return to his hometown Manchester immediately;
Lee’s beloved older brother has suddenly died. And upon his arrival and in
short order Lee is also shocked to learn his deceased brother Joe Chandler has
made him the sole guardian of his teenage nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges). Taking
leave of his job, Lee reluctantly decides to stay in Manchester to care for
Patrick, a spirited 16-year-old all the while forcing Lee to deal with a past
that he absolutely doesn’t want to revisit that involved his wife Randi
(Michelle Williams) and the entire Manchester community. But bonded by the love
for his brother Lee struggles to adjust to his new world back in Manchester, a
world he swore he would never visit again.
“Manchester by the Sea” while structurally solemn
and tragically quiet is in fact a masterpiece in the simplicity of telling a compelling
simple story. The sequences of events
leading up to the films conclusion seem less like a movie and more like a
wonderful and richly layered cinematic experience of the unique and unusual
bonds that shape and define families. It’s powerful without being loud or boisterous.
It’s grand without a single moment of animated action. It’s larger than life
without being over the top. But above all it’s a beautifully told story with a
lot of genuine heart and pain that always feels real without any dramatic
tricks or gimmicks. And while essentially the entire film (with a running time
of 2:17) at its core is a serious melancholy drama there are also some delicately
funny moments that make you feel warm.
This is phenomenal film making that authentically
goes to places that are cruel, heartfelt and filled with absolute pain. But in
the midst of human chaos during the loss of a loved one, “Manchester by the Sea”
still offers up powerful and purposeful grace about how people in the end still
manage to get through unexpected agonies.
“Manchester by the Sea” brilliantly makes the
point that if any of us should live a long productive life, that in that long journey
for the most part we are in control of its destination with various stages of
connecting dots of personal choices that we made which collectively shape and
define who we are. We choose a college, we choose a professional line of work, we
choose a mate, we choose a house, the town to live in and we choose how many children
to have. And when we make these choices (upon
spontaneous reflections) we look back on these decisions in that moment hopefully
filled with happiness, filled with love and filled prosperity.
But sometimes an event can choose us. A profound
event with profound unintended consequences that can be equally defining to a life’s
connected dot journey which can be equally defining and shaping who we are.
No doubt “Manchester” will be nominated for Best
Picture, Best Actor for Casey Affleck, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director.
So, with that in mind I implore you, I beseech you, I beg you all, please go
see this wonderful film. Take the journey to visit these people who live near
the sea in the town of Manchester. You won’t be disappointed.
4 Stars
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