Review of Manchester by the Sea (2016) by Mohamed H — 12 Jul 2017

Manchester by the Sea is a sad sad film with brilliantly understated performances that suck you in before punching you in the gut. This is one of those movies where the synergy of everyone involved in front of and behind the camera is evident.

Casey Affleck plays the depressed, self-isolating Lee Chandler who is forced to deal with new responsibilities. He doesn't have a ton of dialogue but his thoughts and feelings are palpable. Despite what the marketing will have you believe, Michelle Williams has a small role. A small role that will tear out your heart. One scene in particular in the third act is heart breaking and will have you openly weeping.

The film is entirely from Lee Chandler's point of view. Despite having a crappy job the film quickly establishes him as an intelligent man whom people are drawn too, further emphasizing how self inflicted his isolation is. Flashbacks are peppered throughout giving you insight on the emotional state of the characters. If you pay close attention you can see how every character has changed physically in some way except for Lee (it's sometimes hard to know if it's the past or present if Lee is the only one in frame). Wonderful example of how costume / hair & make up can go a long way to compliment a movie's theme.

Another tool used to great effect in the film is to intensify or prolonging tension by interrupting the flow of the scene. Almost every scene is deliberately interrupted with believably clumsy dialogue or a character fumbling or struggling with an object. A character will have a rude outburst, forgot where they parked the car, a band member will be off beat or someone might hurt themselves. This creates a very realistic and un-cinematic feel that serves the film very well.

The only criticism I have is most likely due to the environment in which I watched the film. I was not in the mood for a serious film and I got a little bored for the first half an hour. My suggestion is to make sure you are ready to watch a grounded and emotionally draining drama and bring some tissue paper.