There are three elements that can elevate a movie to greatness. It consists of solid acting, a quality script and empathy for the characters. Kenneth Lonergan’s ‘Manchester by the Sea’ has that kind of power over the audience. It is a masterpiece from an auteur that understands the nuances of characters and how they interact in real life. For those unfamiliar with Lonergan’s work, he is originally a playwright turned filmmaker. His 2011 film ‘Margaret’ is another example of his command of characterization dealing with a young girl played by Anna Paquin who feels responsible for a tragic bus accident. ‘Manchester by the Sea’ is one of the best films of the year and it will emotionally resonate with you long after the credits roll.
The film opens with a pleasant memory of Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) joking around on a fishing boat with his young nephew Patrick while his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) navigates the trawler. Lonergan shoots the scene from a distance as the story shifts to the present. Lee works as a janitor for an apartment complex in Boston. He lives in a dingy one-room flat. He is the kind of guy that shows up on time for work but there is something eating at him. There is a telling scene where he goes to a local bar for a few beers when a girl tries to flirt with him. He doesn’t reciprocate her advances and just wants to be left alone. He is an enigma that draws us into his story. We want to get to know this guy and why he is so melancholy.
Lee gets a phone call that his brother, Joe (Kyle Chandler) has a heart attack that turns fatal. He must return to his hometown of Manchester, a picturesque coastal fishing village to make funeral arrangements for his brother. At the reading of Joe’s will, he learns that his brother wants him to be the guardian for his 16-year-old son Patrick (Lucas Hedges). Lee is reluctant to raising his nephew. Although it is tragic that Joe died, we learn through well-crafted flashbacks that he had congenital heart disease. Although the film deals with grief, it has several humorous moments particularly between Lee and Patrick. He has no idea how to raise a teenager. The conflict is that Lee doesn’t want to leave Boston and Patrick doesn’t want to uproot his life in Manchester. Patrick juggles two girlfriends, Silvie (Kara Hayward from ‘Moonrise Kingdom’) and Sandy (Anna Baryshnikov, daughter of Mikhail), plays on the hockey team and rocks out in a noisy garage band.
The typical Hollywood formula would show the lead character being forced to grow up and take care of the minor with a tidy happy ending. Lonergan doesn’t take the easy road since life is more complicated. The truth of the matter is that not everyone recovers from loss. As the layers of the story are revealed through insightful flashbacks, we see why Lee is such a devastated man. It is a horrible tragedy that estranges him from his scrappy wife (Michelle Williams). In just a few scenes, Williams delivers a powerful and heartbreaking performance. It is amazing to watch these two talented actors play off each other. Revealing anything more would ruin it for you. The supporting cast is equally compelling especially Hedge’s performance as the precocious teen. It is obvious Joe picked Lee as Patrick’s guardian as a way to help him get out of his funk. The question is whether Lee is willing to let go of his past that has left him an empty shell of a man.
The entire production sets a foreboding mood in the quaint town of Manchester. The snowbound streets and ocean blast shots captures the cold and protected emotions of the characters. The orchestral music by Leslie Barber is moving. Lonergan is an actor’s director and lets the scenes play out to the bitter end. ‘Manchester by the Sea’ is a fascinating exploration of grief and the most devastatingly powerful film of the year.
