Manchester By The Sea - movie review

Manchester By The Sea

Plot: An uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies.
Cast: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler
Director: Kenneth Lonergan
Certificate: 15 (very strong language)
Runtime: 2hrs 17 mins
Release Date: Friday 13th January 2017

There are upsides and downsides with the film industry because of living in the UK. The downside is that we usually get the films in contention for awards much later than other countries meaning that we hear all this hype and praise but can never watch it then and there. However, the fortunate upside is that when we get them, they're sprinkled in throughout January and February easing the pain of the other films that studios have dumped there. Manchester By The Sea is the next film to be released that has a lot of buzz surrounding the film and particularly some of the performances.


Give Casey Affleck the Oscar now. Just give it to him. No one, and I mean no one, will give a performance on a level anywhere near him to combat him for this award. Who knew he had this in him? Casey Affleck has always been that actor that crops up now and again and we respond by saying 'Oh yeah, Casey Affleck's in this. He was good' but never much else. He's had a fine career and from memory, has never delivered a wholly bad performance but his turn as Lee Chandler in Manchester By The Sea is groundbreaking. This is a film where the director just let his actors act. The story is great and very effective but the true focus of this film is showcasing the phenomenal talent on show. I think that throughout his career, Casey has often been overshadowed by his elder brother. Ben had the whole Hollywood dream and is now Batman. Casey settled for supporting roles and was that one guy from the Ocean's films that you can't remember. Now, I can officially confirm, Ben Affleck is the better director and Casey is the better actor. What he is able to do in this film is nothing short of a masterclass in acting. If anyone is reading this with the hopes of becoming an actor or is studying acting at university or college, I implore you to witness the absolute talent on show here. He's very quiet and damaged but with the smallest gestures and his understated personality and body language, his character speaks a million words without uttering a single sentence. If someone were to make a video compiling the greatest acting moments of all time, I would easily campaign to include a ten minute sequence featured in this film in which Casey Affleck may as well pick up the award already. He is unbelievable. This isn't just the performance of the year. It might be the performance of the decade because everything about it is so real and grounded. He doesn't need to climb into an animal carcass for the award. All Casey needed to do was act like a master and he did. 

However, as much as this is a film to give Casey Affleck the spotlight and deservedly shower him with endless amounts of praise, Casey isn't the only one in that shower. Joining him in a slightly smaller role than I was expecting is Michelle Williams. She plays the ex-wife to Casey's Lee and they're reunited when Lee returns after his brother's passing. Her appearance in the film is limited to a couple of scenes through the use of flashbacks and one or two set in present day. That's it. She's definitely a supporting role but easily earns herself a nomination, possibly a win, come Oscar time. Michelle Williams excels in depicting heartbreaking characters who have been through the worst in life and is one of the very few actresses that can make an emotional outburst and non-stop tears look civilised and not fake. Even though she lacks the screentime for total investment to her character, Williams wastes no time in putting her bid for awards in. I could make an argument that this may be the best performance of her career but then I've also seen her in Take This Waltz and Blue Valentine and she was sensational in those movies too. The fact of the matter still remains - Michelle Williams is giving the performance of a lifetime and every time she makes an appearance, your heart sinks in despair and tragedy as you view two characters that have been dealt the worst possible hand in life. So with Casey rightfully earning a Best Actor nomination (and hopefully win) and Michelle Williams with a Supporting Actress nomination, Manchester By The Sea succeeds in achieving the triple actor nominations with Lucas Hedges nabbing a Supporting Actor nomination. With his performance in this, we have found a star in the making with Hedges. There are points where, and he doesn't steal it from Casey, but Hedges is allowed to completely dominate and prove himself amongst the veterans of the trade. At first, I wasn't too sure about his character. He seemed to take the news of his dad's death pretty easily and juggles two girlfriends around like that's common practice however, through detailed development and a powerhouse performance by Hedges, I managed to understand his motivations and the film allows the audience to gradually get inside the headspace of all the characters rather than drop the exposition in one go. That's how I would describe Manchester By The Sea. Gradual.

FACT: Matt Damon was initially set to direct and star in the film.

Manchester By The Sea is very depressing. I really do mean that. It's not a film that you can throw on with a group of friends round unless you want to feel emotionally drained or you and your friends are very morbid and enjoy watching life at its lowest ebb. It deals with very sensitive themes and topics that many other films might decide to stray away from. The ideas of mortality, forgiveness and responsibility are all discussed in a thought provoking manner that it is impossible to leave Manchester By The Sea and not be hit in the feels. With a runtime of well over two hours, at points, I did feel it drag. It wasn't so much of a negative drag but with the tone being very serious and acts containing little to no levity, I did feel like a few scenes could have been tidied up and cut down in length. As much as I adored the aspect of seemingly intruding into a real life personal scenario that we shouldn't be watching, some scenes go on for a little too long. Casey Affleck driving on the freeway is a good one minute sequence to see the worry or sadness emanating on his face but when that sequence begins to reach over the two minute mark, it could have done with more crucial editing. The score was also a slight issue with me. For the most part, the score remains in the background and isn't anything that special but in the moments when the emotion is heightened (specifically a funeral scene) this classical and orchestral music comes out of nowhere that was initially off-putting and for a moment, took me out of what was a highly emotional scene. After thinking it through some more, I do understand the reason for its inclusion but the actual way it began was unfortunately handled messily. Even though there is saddening undertones throughout and it definitely is not the cheeriest film of the year, Manchester By The Sea includes some bright moments of humour that do feel like a rest-bite from the bombardment of the upsetting plot. A scene in particular involves the most awkward interaction a boy and a member of his family could have. Finally, the cinematography is stunning. Whenever Lee takes the fishing boat out and tours the bay of Manchester, the flow of the camera and beauty of the town make it one of the most subtly effective use of cinematography this year.

It isn't exactly a film that I would put on whenever I feel like kicking back, eating some pizza and wanting a good time because I'll probably want to throw the pizza away and contemplate what life actually is. However, that doesn't stop this from being a fantastic movie. Michelle Williams and Lucas Hedges are magnificent in their roles but Casey Affleck is the driving force. Even if the worryingly bleak outlook on life puts you off, see it for him alone. Just don't expect to leave the cinema skipping and jumping with glee.

My Verdict: 8/10

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