Directed by:
Kenneth LonerganScreenplay:
Kenneth LonerganCinematography:
Jody Lee LipesComposer:
Lesley BarberCast:
Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, Kyle Chandler, Michelle Williams, C.J. Wilson, Heather Burns, Tate Donovan, Josh Hamilton, Matthew Broderick, Gretchen Mol (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Casey Affleck stars as Lee, a man whose spare existence is suddenly ruptured when the death of his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) forces him to return to the hometown he abandoned years before. Rocked by contact with his estranged ex-wife (Michelle Williams) and the revelation that Joe has made him guardian of his teenage son (Lucas Hedges), Lee is forced to face up to painful memories and new-found levels of responsibility as he reconnects with his family. (StudioCanal UK)
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Reviews (13)
A film about human pain, guilt, failure, and the attempt to somehow cope with it all. It is pleasantly and cleverly cast, with Casey Affleck suiting his role as if Lonergan had written it specifically for him. I haven't seen enough of him to confidently say that he normally acts brilliantly, or if it was just a great casting choice. Unfortunately, Manchester by the Sea doesn't score as high with me as I expected because it only works partially. My attention was unilaterally drawn from the beginning to the end by Lee Chandler, while the director wanted to build the film on the relationship and confrontation between the uncle and nephew. However, Patrick as a teenager was not interesting to me, unfortunately. The film worked perfectly until Lee became a mystery to me, and I didn't understand all of the bitterness, emotional instability, and inaccessibility of his personality. The revelation should have come to me in the end. Nevertheless, I understand why there is so much talk about the film and why it is considered worthy of an Oscar nomination. Overall impression: 65%.
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With exaggeration and in big quotation marks it’s Nocturnal Animals for the lower middle-class or country people. It's slow, weaving and painful (in the spirit of Eastwood's films), playing out several plot levels and exposing painful life events and decisions, or the inability to cope with them, but it is more oversimplified and easier to read. The most interesting thing about it is that it is paradoxically so direct and non-cinematic, because half of the scenes are without music and with so much authenticity and energy that it feels like your next-door neighbour is living the story. A cinematic event, no doubt, just not for everyone and it will have to mature a bit more, but a must-see for film scholars.
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The stroller scene is so powerful and realistic that it seems as though it’s not acted at all. The entire film is based on
realism; it is an unusually detailed visit to a certain place, its atmosphere and way of life, an insight into the privacy and
intimacy of its inhabitants. With the main character, we experience a crazy drama without the creators trying to make us
sympathize with him (on the contrary, he is an irresponsible yokel). The film is extraordinary thanks both to the acting
performances and the depiction of everyday life, which is something that’s not often seen in movies (e.g. a great,
seemingly unnecessary scene involving the search for a parked car).
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A painful punch right to the heart. A film whose author must be on the same frequency as I, because I understood every scene. Everything was in its place, everything made sense. It’s been a long time since I felt 137 minutes passing so fast, even though on paper they should have dragged (and judging by the comments, they did drag for many people).
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A drama that does not hold your hand, forces you to read between the lines, and does so on a canvas over two hours long that does not begin with careless and ordinary dialogues full of chatter. Casey Affleck has found the role of his life, Michelle Williams shines even in a smaller space, and Kenneth Lonergan has created a drama that is almost too absolute and overwhelming to be heartfelt. Still, I wish him all the success in the awards season.
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