Writer-director Kenneth Lonergan’s three feature films to date—You Can Count on Me, Margaret, and his latest, Manchester by the Sea—are outstanding works of humane drama. They aren’t visually flashy films, and they don’t offer cunning allegory or biting social commentary. They simply present forthright, poignant stories about authentic people struggling with rocky relationships and personal demons.
At bottom, Manchester is about two people: Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck), a sullen, divorced maintenance man in New England, obliged to return to his titular hometown when his older brother Joe suddenly dies; and Joe’s 17-year-old son, Patrick (Lucas Hedges), whom Lee is stunned to discover has been left in his care. Uncle and nephew are at loggerheads straightaway, despite the former’s do-what-you-like approach to parenting an older adolescent. Lee loathes the notion of moving back to Manchester by the Sea permanently, while Patrick is incensed that he should be forced relocate and drop his friends, hockey team, rock band, and two girlfriends.
This strained relationship between two tough Yankee guys—one approaching middle age, one just starting his adult life—is the core of the film, richly developed by the screenplay and superbly performed by Affleck and Hedges. However, Lonergan’s film continually evolves this tale of family friction into something more complicated and fascinating. The director structures the film to withhold information, layering in flashbacks that only gradually reveal the depths of Lee’s mistakes and sorrows. Such methods never read as cheap theatrics, but as a reflection of the way that Manchester’s characters shutter themselves off from the past to guard against regret and grief. Lonergan also lingers generously on sequences of humane characterization, such as Patrick’s band practices and fumbling sexual escapades. This discipline and generosity in its storytelling is why Manchester by the Sea is a such a marvelous, heartbreaking success.
Manchester by the Sea opens Friday, December 2 at Plaza Frontenac Cinema (1701 S Lindbergh).
