Probably the perfect picture to will in the January blues, Kenneth Lonergan’s, ‘Manchester by the Sea’, transcends it’s low and dreary hues and swells into one of the most heart-rendering and emotional cinematic experiences in recent memory.
Spearheaded by a nothing shy of exceptional solo turn from Casey Affleck, Lonergan’s latest sees Lee Chandler (Affleck), a lowly and subdued Boston janitor, trying hard to make ends meet, retiring to his barely furnished bedsit each evening to glumly watch the evening’s sport. Having already spurned his longing to hold onto his sharp tongue and loose fists, he receives a phone call informing him that his older brother Joe (Chandler) has suffered a heart attack in their hometown of Manchester by the Sea. Racing to the hospital, he arrives too late to wish his brother farewell, and he is left the responsibility of making plans for his brother’s funeral.
Left behind in the aftermath is Joe’s only son, Patrick (Hedges). Naturally, Lee is left with the burden of informing him of his father’s passing. However, it doesn’t stop there. Upon the reading of the will, with Patrick’s alcoholic mother no longer on the scene, it transpires that Joe has left the sole custody of Patrick to Lee, something that neither of them was informed of or by any measure prepared for.
Lee’s rejection of the situation leaves Patrick feeling utterly alone in the world. However, finding anger towards him is not a possibility; Lee’s dark past in the city of Manchester by the Sea slowly emerges, giving true justification to his need to escape, separate and hide from those around him; everything a reminder of the truly tragic circumstances that saw him leave in the first instance.
Manchester by the Sea stars Casey Affleck as Lee Chandler
Ever growing montages of flashback storytelling intercut with what becomes a brooding yet fiercely laid tale of individuals seeking to see beyond each other’s grief to find their own humanity. The clashing and tender relationship between Uncle and Nephew, each trying to understand the facets of the other’s manner of living with emotion, leads to some of the sweetest, deepest and surprisingly understated moments that any drama could strive to achieve. Truly, this character pairing is as complex and conflicting as one could conceive yet is presented in an astonishingly stripped down and understandable fashion. Both excellent writing and stunning performance triumph here at large.
The relationship between the pair is only one of many that build the film’s tension and stake. Lee reflects on what made the bond with his deceased brother so strong. Patrick regains contact with his mother, now born again in a very different guise to the one he knew her in. Further, he pursues a far from monogamous relationship with the singer in his teenage grunge band. Yet perhaps the most tested and striking relationship outside of the main story arc is that of Lee and his estranged wife (Williams). Whilst it is clear that there is something deeply wrong in the way that they interact (in fact, glaringly so), there is still a modicum of love in their voices as they converse. Upon learning their past, this notion in itself becomes a miracle.
Accentuating the high drama and characterisation is the film’s spartan mise en scène. The city itself becomes a character. Beautiful in its own accord, cold, barren, deep and expansive, with the ocean at its corner, it serves as the perfect backdrop to the nature of the tale to unfold within its grasp. Every landscape within the film is captured with the simplicity and bliss of catching a glimpse of a flock of birds in formation, flying overhead in swirling arches. Everything becomes striking here. The smallest action or fleeting moment of conversation, every piece of eye contact or upturned frown becomes something much more than it ever ought to be in this greenhouse environment. It takes on an air of the truly sublime.
Through watching these characters trying to comprehend what home and family mean to them, in the most demanding of circumstance, it would be impossible to leave this picture without having learnt something about yourself. Perhaps even a newfound appreciation of those around you. Whilst at times an emotionally gruelling watch, it is something that is not to be missed at any cost. Rarely is it necessary to feel as compelled as to urge a viewer into an experience as traumatic as this but believe me as it is said that you will walk away with your heart full. Needless to say, it would be travestied to witness the cast and crew of this film walk away without a spate of awards in this upcoming season of acknowledging the year’s finest. However, I am sure that something as aesthetic and fickle as statues will mean little to those involved in the creation of this, one of the rawest, richest and most subdued film experiences to be assembled in recent years. Bravo.
Author: Joe, York store
