Manchester sur mer

I spent the first 23 years of my life living in what i regard as the original Manchester in north-west England, so I was always going to be intrigued by the title of this film. The small fishing town in Massachusetts is a character in itself and different scenes feature prominently in the cinematography.

In fact, by the time I saw the movie at the cinema, Casey Affleck had already deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his stunning - often understated - performance as Lee Chandler, a Boston janitor who has to return to his home town where he is astonished to find that, following the death of his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler), he has been given custody of his 16 year old nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges).

The story starts with scenes of Lee's life in Boston and it looks like this is a man with immense attitude. Only later do we learn, though one of many flash-backs, that this is not attitude, buy grief, guilt and white-hot anger. Affleck is rarely off the screen and gives a powerful and moving portrayal of a man that just cannot come to terms with his loss. This is not "About A Boy" (2002) where the youngster softens the man; this is more "Ordinary People" (1980) where deep pain has no ultimate resolution.

Among so many memorable scenes, two stand out: one in which very little is said and the music of Albinoni's Adagio has rarely been more heart-rending and another in which Joe meets his wife Randi (Michelle Williams) when little more is said but grief is shown to be unbridgeable. Writer and director Kennth Lonergan has given us a genuine tour de force.

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

**** (out of 4)

After the sudden death of his brother, Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) must return to the town that he has been running from in order to take care of his 16-year-old nephew (Lucas Hedges). It doesn't take long for the haunting past to catch up with Lee who might just not be able to face it.

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA is an extremely quiet movie but it's also a very powerful one. I'm not going to say anything else about the plot as I don't want to give anything away but it's certainly a very deep and emotional gem that has an extremely good story as well as some magnificent and emotionally charged performances. This certainly isn't a movie that's going to have a wide appeal because it's just too depressing for that but those willing to sit through it will find it to be quite rewarding.

Writer-director Kenneth Lonergan does a magnificent job with the screenplay and I especially liked the structure that the film goes for. We're given a few flashbacks throughout the early part of the film to give us enough information to explain why the Lee character is the way he is. When we first meet him he's somewhat of a jerk and you can just feel that there's some hidden pain in him. I really thought the film used the flashbacks perfectly to show us what caused Lee to get this way and the film plays out perfectly well as all of the past comes back. We've seen several films deal with a character battling the past but I must say that this here is one of the best examples of a man being haunted and finally having to face his demons.

As great as the screenplay is, you've also got some terrific performances to help pull out all of the emotion. Hedges is extremely good in the role of the nephew and Kyle Chandler is terrific in his few scenes as the brother. The always dependable Michelle Williams' turns in another remarkable performance as the ex-wife who has her own set of pain. The film, however, clearly belongs to Affleck who turns in the greatest performance of his career. He talks in a very quiet manor and sometimes he doesn't say anything at all but you can just look in Affleck's eyes and see the pain. In the way he walks you can see the weight of the world holding him down. This is a very emotional performance and a deep and haunting one yet the actor pulls it off without a problem.

The film also benefits from a terrific score, some beautiful cinematography and there's no question that the setting is perfect for the story. As I said, this is a mighty depressing film so I can see why some might want to tap out early on but those willing to sit through it will certainly be rewarded with a powerful film with some of the best acting of the year.

This film left me feeling all sorts of emotions. It's definitely one of the most depressing films I've ever seen.

Manchester by the Sea tells the story of a depressed man named Lee who has to take care of his brother's son after his unfortunate death.

This is not a film that you go to watch for a good time. Manchester by the Sea made me feel really sad throughout the entirety of it and it's mainly done through the amazing performances and level of authenticity writer-director Kenneth Lonergan creates. This film is very simple. It's not stylish in any way and Lonergan's script maintains the realism through the runtime. At no point did I think there were actors playing the characters because the performances and conversations they were all having seemed too real. This made Lonergan's story about guilt, pain and depression more impactful and heartbreaking.

In my opinion, this is a career best performance by Casey Affleck. It's a performance that's rather sombre instead of flashy. His facial expressions are very subtle but you can still tell how broken and unhappy of a man he is. When you first see his character, you tend to dislike him but after finding out the reason why he's so miserable, you root for him and want him to recover from his depressive state. Michelle Williams isn't in the film much but she's brilliant in all the scenes she's present in. I thought Lucas Hedges was good but there were times where I found his accent quite jarring and a scene where he cries didn't seem too realistic.

It's best going into Manchester by the Sea not knowing much as I feel it makes the film more poignant. It's may not be an easy watch but I would like people to experience it so they can see the Kenneth Lonergan's talent as well as Casey Affleck's masterful performance.

Rarely there is a film these days to come out of Hollywood that is so humane, realistic and straight to the point. Though it feels a little bit overdone at times, the performances and subtle writing made 'Manchester by the Sea' a drama of craftsmanship.

While many don't like it because it doesn't 'hit home', I like it just for that reason, cause it does 'hit home' in a way. The story is told in a way that happens exclusively in the real world, without escaping to some universe all the time. It's a tale of mourning, loss and pain. It could just happen to you. See, that's what gives 'Manchester by the Sea' it's relatability and humanity.

Being familiar with director Kenneth Lonergan's previous work, one knew what to expect from his chosen themes and his style. 'Manchester By the Sea' has Lonergan written all over it, and while it was not a "love" film it was an "appreciate" one.

It is an uneven film and understandably polarising (people will love the acting, inspired use of music and the mix of humour and pathos but others will find it overlong, slow and rambling), with a first half that will alienate some. There are many things that impress, especially the acting which is what drives 'Manchester By the Sea'. This said, even if my reaction to 'Manchester By the Sea' was less (like it wasn't for me or intensely disliking it, I would have no problem with anybody saying they liked it, not the sort of person who condescends and shows a lack of maturity and respect to other people's opinions (one of my bugbears on IMDb).

Getting on to my hopefully balanced review of 'Manchester By the Sea', pointing out its flaws and merits, as said it is easy to see why 'Manchester By the Sea' is not for everybody. It is perhaps longer than necessary, some of the first half did tend to ramble and could have done with a trimming. In fact, the first half generally wasn't as interesting as the rest of the film, and likely to put people off watching any further. It did tend to be dull and meandering, the mix from flashback to present day not always clear and didn't always go anywhere. It was when the tragedy came in and the relationship between Lee and Patrick when 'Manchester By the Sea' becomes more worthwhile if stuck with.

After this point, 'Manchester By the Sea's' only faults are a few contrived moments (like the freezer scene and the at times excessive and out of place F bombs) and an ending that falls on the abrupt side.

However, 'Manchester By the Sea' has suitably picturesque scenery and is shot with a lot of atmosphere. Lonergan directs with a lot of thoughtfulness and restraint and much of the script has a good balance of humour (with some genuine belly laughs with Lee and Patrick) and pathos (the fire and funeral scenes will have one reaching for the tissues). The show-down between Lee and Randi is beautifully played and electric.

'Manchester By the Sea's' best asset is by far the acting. Lucas Hedges makes a compellingly real character out of one that could easily have been annoying, and while Michelle Williams is underused she also gives a remarkably moving performance. Kyle Chandler also impresses. 'Manchester By the Sea' is Casey Affleck's film though, Affleck is on blistering form and has rarely been better in his tough-talking and also introverted role.

Also want to mention the music, giving much intensity and poignancy to the drama with inspired use of pre-existing music. Albinoni has never been more affectingly utilised on film, his "Adagio" can be one of those over-exposed pieces of music but here added so much to the drama's emotion that it was truly beautiful and haunting. Another effective use of music was "He Shall Feed His Flock...Come Onto Him", the alto and soprano duet from Handel's 'Messiah'.

In summary, slow start but sticking with it 'Manchester By the Sea' rewards. Didn't love it, but there was enough to make it appreciate it. 7/10 Bethany Cox