By Emilio Frenk
Director: Kenneth Lonergan
Cast: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, C.J. Wilson, Lucas Hedges, Gretchen Mol and Matthew Broderick.
Rating: Excellent.
Writer/Director Kenneth Lonergan, who made “You Can Count on Me” and “Margaret” brings “Manchester by the Sea”, a dramatic film that works at all levels and I was blown away.
The movie tells the story of Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) a handyman from the area of Quincy in Boston, Massachussets, that one day he receives a devastating news that his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) has passed away.
Lee travels to Manchester where now he has to deal with the fact that he has been asked by his brother to be his legal guardian of his troubled teenage nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges). At the beginning this represents a conflict for Lee but eventually he will be given the opportunity to spend more time with his nephew and know him better.
Not only he has to deal with his nephew now he encounters with his ex wife Randi (Michelle Williams) which will give them a chance to forgive each other and redeem themselves.
Kenneth Lonergan is a director that in his films prior to this one, he gets deep inside into the character and he is a director that shows the inner conflict that all of the characters are showing, their vulnerabilities and with “Manchester by the Sea” was not the exception.
The narrative in this movie works at all levels and the use of flashbacks by Lee’s point of view when he is remembering the support that he received from his brother after a tragedy that he suffered with his then wife and also how the character enjoyed life while he was married.
Kenneth Lonergan not only wrote and crafted a beautiful screenplay with “Manchester by the Sea” but directed true performances and powerful perfomances.
Casey Affleck’s performance is without a doubt the best of his career and Michelle Williams gives a wonderful performance as well.
Lucas Hedges who plays Affleck’s nephew is a young actor with a bright future and he might score an Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actor in next year’s awards ceremony for his wonderful performance. Also both Affleck and Williams can score nominations for both Best Actor and Supporting Actress in next year’s awards.
This is the first time that I didn’t see an element of the film that didn’t work since everything worked at all levels.
This film reminds me of Robert Redford’s “Ordinary People” since it deals with a family tragedy. Although it’s both different and similar at the same time due to the theme and in Redford’s film the use of flashbacks was used properly.
The main problem with the use of flashbacks lately is that the writers use it to justify an excuse from a character and it’s not the way to do it.
The way to do it is like in “Manchester by the Sea” where we see a struggling man and rememebers when he cherished his brother and marriage and we get deep inside his head as an audience member.
This is a movie that you cannot miss and when you arrive to the movie theater bring yourself a good pack of tissues since you will need them. You will be moved and you will cry with the film.
“Manchester by the Sea” is one of the years best films and I think that is going to get many nominations in the next award season and Igive a huge recommendation and it’s so far my favorite film of 2016.