Manchester By The Sea review: Perfect in every way – funny, utterly engrossing and absolutely heartbreaking.
Manchester By The Sea review by Paul Heath, Toronto International Film Festival 2016.
From the writer of such films as diverse as Analyse This and Gangs Of New York comes this first gem from this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Kenneth Lonergan is that writer and indeed director, helming his third feature following his debut with You Can Count On Me and Margaret.
Manchester By The Sea follows Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck), a character who has been given sole guardianship of his teenage nephew Patrick following the death of his father, and Lee’s brother Joe (Kyle Chandler). When Lee is forced to travel back to Manchester from his one-bedroom studio home in Quincy, Boston to settle his brother’s estate, he must face ghosts from his past – including his ex-wife Randi (Michelle Williams) and the rest of the community where he was born and raised.
What’s impressive about Manchester By The Sea is how affecting it is. A serious drama scattered with themes of family, past lives and ultimately huge loss. Kenneth Lonergan’s screenplay, told in a non-linear form, flips from present to past at many points during its running time, the filmmaker drip-feeding us information on Lee Chandler’s tortured being. It’s a clever device that never one makes one feel lost, or indeed confused, but more intrigued and curious.
The script is simplistic, though detailed in every part. Lonergan introduces us too a Lee Chandler that we really dislike during his early scenes, though as we continue on through we really do start to sympathise with him following some pretty key incidents from his history. While Lonergan’s screenplay and direction is top-notch, and indeed near-perfect, it is Casey Affleck who is the revelation here. This is a career best from the slightly lesser known brother – something that is bound to change once this film reaches a wider audience – yes, he is that good. Affleck’s performance is wonderfully under-played and under-stated, Lonergan’s script very often relying on speech-less, almost silent movie-esque performance with emotions told through mannerisms and physical reaction, accompanied by a phenomenal soundtrack made up of classical and operatic score. The film’s definitive middle section, which we won’t reveal here, proves this implicitly. I cried uncontrollably.
Affleck’s contemporaries are also near-flawless, particularly Chandler and Williams, who, while very much supporting characters, are key to the emotional undertones, and really are at their absolute best. Plaudits for Lucas Hedges must be given too as the older Patrick – a Matt Damon-like performance (in looks as well as everything else – he also produces) which is so necessary to the film working as well as it does.
Manchester By The Sea is the very first film we caught during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival press programme, and it’s already the one to beat. Perfect in every way – funny, utterly engrossing throughout and more than anything else, absolutely heartbreaking. It really will have you stuck in your seat waiting for the tear-ducts to dry before the lights come up.
Forget everything else, the Oscar-race starts here. Not only one of the best of TIFF ’16 so far, but one of the best films we’ve seen all year. Simply stunning.
Manchester By The Sea review by Paul Heath, TIFF ’16.
Manchester By The Sea will be released in the UK on January 13th, 2017.
