Directed by: Kenneth Lonergan
Written by: Kenneth Lonergan
Starring: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler
IMDb Link
Manchester by the Sea is fantastic; an emotional roller coaster from start to finish, with Casey Affleck's powerful yet subtle performance drawing focus every step of the way.
*Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead*
Manchester is about tragedy and family; we follow Lee Chandler (Affleck), a man who lives and works as a custodian in Boston, MA, and who genuinely does not want to talk to people, avoiding human contact as much as possible. Lee has to move to Manchester, MA to take care of his nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges) after the death of Lee's brother Joe (played by the coincidentally named Kyle Chandler). We're also given flashbacks to the various tragedies that have struck the family previously, which help us come to understand how Lee has become the way he is, while also reflecting the struggles Lee must now go through in overcoming his outlook and raising Pat.
Affleck is front and centre for essentially the entire movie, which is absolutely fine because he is astonishingly and realistically human. It's not the sort of strong and commanding acting that I think most people consider when they look at examples of amazing acting; it's subtle, and restrained, with nuance and hidden feeling behind every movement, holding your attention through how much he's capable of portraying with so little said. Lee hardly talks to anyone outside of his family, but you can see and understand his emotional journey in every moment because Affleck can show us without having to say anything. I got really invested in Lee's story, and I found myself empathising with him to the point that I nearly cried at the exact moment that he looked as if he was about to break down, but was able to hold back tears because he did too. Affleck is truly affecting, this I cannot stress enough.
The emotions he goes through are reinforced by the excellent direction from Lonergan. In this movie, you'll find yourself laughing in one moment, crying in the next, and cringing shortly after, because as Affleck creates a mood with his performance, Lonergan holds the audience in that mood; several scenes of the film are made incredibly awkward by Lee's taciturn approach to everyone besides his family (especially any woman who takes a liking to him), and Lonergan keeps you feeling the pain caused by that awkwardness. The two make a fantastic combination in this film.
Everything else is excellently done as well. Every other performance, while not as good as Affleck's, is still strong and compelling, particularly Chandler as Lee's brother and Willaims as Lee's ex-wife. The story is soul-crushingly tragic, but not laid on so thick that it comes off as melodramatic (though my one criticism of the film is the music, which did offset the mood of the film a couple of times and make it seem as if the film was trying to be melodramatic in an otherwise serious scene). This film is extremely accomplished in its goals, and absolutely deserving of its various awards and nominations.
The Verdict: Casey Affleck offers completely compelling display that can hardly even be called a performance; it feels so very real, and is one of the main reasons that Manchester by the Sea is such a great film. I highly recommend this film to anyone; however, the appeal of the film is almost entirely through Affleck, so look to his other performances in films such as Jesse James and Gone Baby Gone to get a better idea of whether or not he appeals to you.
Rating: 9/10
Published January 5th, 2017
No comments:
Post a Comment