“Manchester by the Sea” isn’t one of those films that leaves you laughing or even expands your cinematic reach.
It is one, however, that will touch you – deeply – because it gets right at the heart of relationships.
Key to its success: Casey Affleck as a handyman who’s forced to care for his teenage nephew when he learns his brother has died.
Unwilling to embrace the responsibility, he enters the situation haltingly. Through flashbacks, writer/director Kenneth Lonergan explains why. A failed marriage (to Michelle Williams, who’s also good) came with baggage; a gregarious brother (Kyle Chandler) brought challenges. Pulling away, living life apart from the folks in Manchester brought him peace.
And yet, when he’s pulled back, he doesn’t quite know what to do.
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Scenes with his nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges) are fun, largely because Affleck’s Lee Chandler doesn’t know how to deal with a teenager. The boy is juggling two girlfriends, a hockey career and life without his father.
There’s a mother, too, but her story gets even stickier when he pays a visit. (Matthew Broderick shines in those moments as the stepdad.) When Lonergan gives his audience some chilling news, all of Affleck’s actions make sense. There’s a reason he’s the way he is and it’s heartbreaking.
While some of Lonergan’s scene selection is confusing (in places, you’re not sure whether you’re in the past or the present), his emphasis isn’t. Those deeply quiet moments are where Affleck shines.
He’s such a nuanced actor, you’ll feel his pain when you discover it. He’s the real deal – a performer who can crawl into a character’s skin and make him pop to life.
Williams is fine, too, but she’s not given the same screen time. Thus, she’s got to make the most of her brief appearances.
Hodges, who looks older than the character should be, pulls them together. He’s so busy trying to act like his dad’s death is no big deal he doesn’t take time to really process what has happened.
Dad’s fishing boat looms. Should Lee come back and run it while Patrick finishes school? Or should he sell it, get Patrick a nice place to live and move on?
A wrong move could ruin someone’s life just as another wrong move bruised his.
Like “Ordinary People,” “Manchester by the Sea” isn’t a film you’ll watch repeatedly. It’s one that sneaks up on you and, quite likely, makes you think – and never forget.
It's one of the year's best.
