Manchester by the Sea
4.5/5
I’ve seen few films throughout my cinematic-junkie career that jar the viewer and pick at the can of worms we all try to keep shut inside us the way Manchester by the Sea (2016) does. It delves into the deepest and darkest trenches of the fragile human heart while making the viewer laugh at the dry, sarcastic, occasionally black humour.
The movie follows a janitor—Lee Chandler, played by Casey Affleck—who has been over-ridden by trauma and is haunted by his past. Returning to Manchester after the death of his brother, Chandler struggles to deal with his grief throughout the movie. This character-driven family drama is mesmerizing, getting down and dirty with the emotions most will do anything not to feel. It stares the realities of grievance, guilt, and self-destruction square in the face.
What stuck out most about the movie was that unlike so many others of this genre, there is no solution given to the characters other than to get up, dress up, and show up. Chandler is haunted by his mistakes, but finds solace in human connection with his nephew, who is left in his care after the sudden death of his brother.
Anyone grieving a recent family loss will relate to this movie: it is real, and it has raw, cold, emotion-driven dialogue.
And the setting works perfectly: the Manchester harbour is bleak yet calming. It works as a strange form of symbolism for the far-from-beautiful realties of being a working-class, widowed, trauma-stricken individual who struggles to learn to live again.
I’m glad to see there are still films made that pay so much respect to human nature; this one leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination. The mixture of blood, tears, and laughter will make the viewer’s stomach flip fiercely for hours after watching this. This film offers no escape from the brutalities of every breath, but it put my own hardships in perspective.
Manchester by the Sea opens in Victoria on Friday, December 9.