Manchester By The Sea

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

The other day I watched Manchester By The Sea, and I haven't been able to stop thinking of it since. The sign of a good film? Personally I think so. Isn't that what good films are meant to do? They almost become a part of you, and they challenge your thoughts, perspectives, feelings. They award you with a new insight, a new lens through which to see the world. And Manchester By The Sea does that so perfectly. I wanted to watch the film after seeing the trailer somewhere a while ago. I was intrigued by Casey Affleck, an actor whose films I'd never seen before. I was intrigued by the promise of emotion, feeling, and human fragility. I was intrigued by the aesthetic and the honesty. And as as you can probably guess, as I live in Manchester, I was also intrigued because of the title. So I thought, upon its release, that I'd give the film a go.

The film is set in the real town of Manchester by the Sea, in Massachusetts, USA. Shot in the winter time, the ensuing coldness is reflected in the blues of the water and dull sky, the boats bobbing in the choppy harbour, the huge mounds of snow, dustings of ice, the mediocrity of every day life, and the greys, blues, whites and browns of the architecture. It complements the tone of the film perfectly. We begin with a shot of a boat, soaring out onto the horizon, propelling itself elegantly against the roll of the waves. On the boat, are two men and a child, laughing easily and carefreely. It's a beautiful, simple moment, and one that comes to contrast starkly as the true tale of the film begins to emerge.

It's hard to review Manchester By The Sea without giving some insight into the story line, though I won't spoil anything for you. That being said, this isn't one of those films whose success is wholly dependent on the twists, turns and evolution of a story unfolding. You won't walk away from Manchester by the Sea feeling like the story line was what made it so good. Obviously it's important, with some elements being both critical and devastating in equal measure, but it merely acts as a catalyst for its characters to react against. And it is here in their reactions, that the true power, feeling, magnitude and brilliance of this film, and what makes it such a masterpiece, resides.

Expertly directed by Kenneth Lonergan, the film focuses primarily on Casey Affleck's Lee Chandler, a man in his late thirties who seems somewhat distanced and detached from the world. His voice is oddly monotone and tired, his eyes seem vacant, his attitude and actions suggest a man who doesn't seem phased by any ensuing repercussions. He lives his days and nights in a cyclical, mundane fashion that seem to lack any warmth. It's a peculiar existence to have, and you can't help but wonder what Lee's story is. What happened? Where did the once carefree and joyful Lee go? The confusion mounts when these shots are intermittently contrasted with shots of a carefree, happy, loving Lee. He has a wife who he adores, a happy home, three children, and he seems to revel in the imperfect beauty of family life. It seems like a parallel universe, and its difficult to understand the link between these two existences.

Whats more, we also flit backwards and forwards between scenes with Lee and his brother Joe. Between life, the hovering moroseness of impending death, and the eventual passing. Again, the link is initially unclear, with Joe's death being one of the first things we learn in the film (and don't worry, I'm not spoiling anything by saying that- it's part of the film's summary!). But ensuing flashbacks help us to piece the picture together, little by little. And it is from this point onwards, that the true story and message of Manchester By The Sea begins to unravel and reveal itself, when Lee learns that Joe has chosen him to be the guardian of Joe's teenage son Patrick. And in order to care for his nephew, who he cares for deeply, Lee must leave his life in Quincy, and return back to his home town, Manchester by the Sea.

A seemingly simple act, this decision is anything but for Lee, and learning the reasons why is the thread that binds the film, giving way to a wealth of complexity and hidden truth that we can only begin to imagine. I won't go into any more detail, but honestly words can't describe the depth of this film. The past, present and future are constantly colliding with one another, distinct points in time unable to completely detach from one another. The past can't be forgotten. The future is a void. The present is overwhelmed by the two. In an essence, Manchester by the Sea is all about human suffering, and the way we respond to the desperately sad, life-changing, devastating, heartbreaking things that happen to us, both individually and collectively, during our lives. Those things that often happen beyond our control. It perfectly captures and explores the grief, loss, weakness, heartbreak, and how we must try to comprehend, process and confront the overwhelming emotion we feel. The maddening disparities between life and death.

In Manchester by the Sea, we see how each character responds to and deals with those feelings in a multitude of ways, and as I mentioned previously, this right here, this raw, unrefined, true wealth of emotion, thought, action, expression, this is what makes this film so powerful, moving and gripping. Not the story line, but this: the fragility, resilience, vulnerability and beauty of the human spirit. Many of us don't like to watch sad films if we can help it. I know I certainly don't. The heaviness and empathy can be too much to bear. And often we don't want to think about those sad, negative, distressing and overwhelming feelings that reside somewhere within us. We don't want to summon them. We don't want to think about situations in which we might encounter them. We don't want to look that part of life's equilibrium in the face. Our hearts are too fragile to cope.

It's easier to turn a blind eye. Easier to pretend that these things don't happen. That these feelings don't exist. That those cruel, seemingly random twists of life are a trick of the movies. They couldn't possibly happen to us. Happy endings can always be found. A flick of a magic wand can make everything okay again. We can go back to better times. The weights in our minds and hearts can always be dropped. The gaping holes can always be filled. The broken pieces can always be stuck back together.

It's blissful ignorance. It's fear. It's naivety. It's console. It's solace. And the very thing I admire most about Manchester By The Sea, is how it makes you feel, think about and confront those feelings. How it is so brutally honest about life's misgivings, misfortunes, mistakes, and how difficult they are to overcome. How healing can take a lifetime. How memories can stay with you for a lifetime. How imperfect we are. How fragile we are. I have always thought that human fragility, weakness, imperfection, and our attempts to deal with these things, are all so devastatingly beautiful, as is that gorgeous, glorious, tender human spirit. It is something I greatly admire, perhaps for the way it truly makes me feel human.

As you've probably gaged by now, Manchester By The Sea isn't a light film, and it may be one of those films you can only bring yourself to watch once. But I would strongly, truly urge you to watch it, even just that once. Don't be put off by the idea of suffering. Watch this film, and let it tell you its story, feel the characters emotions, follow the trails of though it provokes in your mind. I think it's so important, every now and then, to watch a film that connects you to the heart of what it is to be a human. And Manchester By The Sea, is one of those films.

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