Manchester by the Sea

As award season begins for the general public such as myself, I find myself aiming to hit more of these types of films given that the first half of December is almost completely void of anything that I have to see. 

Of course, this is incredibly frustrating beyond belief seeing as how there are 3-5 films coming out on Christmas Day that will do nothing but cannibalize each other, then you throw in the fact that I'm dying to see La La Land again and I'll probably need two viewings of Rogue One....needless to say this is going to be a very backloaded movie month, no thanks to Hollywood. 

So trying to fit in as many Oscar contenders as I can before then, I've been keeping my eye on Manchester by the Sea for a couple weeks now. Much to my pleasant surprise, it made its debut at my local downtown Denver theater last night so I opted out of Office Christmas Party to go see it. 

After seeing it, I can understand why it's an Oscar contender, though, as it goes with most of these award-seeking films, I didn't like it quite as much as it's current reviews would want me to. That's not to say I wasn't impressed, but it likely won't be making my Top 10 list at the end of the year and the film that the Oscars and I are likely to agree on the most, La La Land, is far superior. 

But Manchester is a very good movie nonetheless, albeit a tragic one. It's a film with a tremendous amount of grief and loss and the film takes a very basic approach at displaying these characters and their handling of it. 

The most striking aspect of the film to me was its performances, especially Casey Affleck's. His character is one who registers emotion very slowly, if at all. It leads to some painfully awkward moments, but I felt like I could relate with him as I operate in a similar fashion at times (though not to the degree that he does). There are several heartbreaking scenes throughout, and one in particular that shows a man at the end of his days, that will stick with me for a very long time. It's very raw and shockingly realistic, something that could be said for the rest of the film too. Kyle Chandler and Michelle Williams give amazing performances as well, though their roles are more supportive in nature, but each of them have some key scenes in relation to Affleck's Lee Chandler. 

"Ok now look grumpy, Casey!...Grumpier!!"

"Ok now look somber, Casey!...Somber-er!"

Manchester pivots back and forth between the past and present fairly effortlessly throughout. It took me a couple transitions to realize when it was doing this as there's no warning or significant change of appearance. For the first 45 minutes it's a bit of a slow slog and you begin to wonder what this film's purpose is. Once it's clear to the audience when time transitions are taking place though, the film becomes a thing of beauty and the transitions between past and present feed off each other, each story complimenting, enhancing, and explaining the other. The film went from good to great for me when a key moment in the past is explained about halfway through and everything really comes full circle. In that moment you instantly understand so many character motivations and attitudes, especially Affleck's, and it leads to you being increasingly more emotionally invested in the film's remainder. And at the end of the day, this approach by splitting up plots by past and present helps the film to be unique and keep things interesting, even in its slower moments. Unfortunately then, the ending was a major disappointment to me. I understand the premise behind "natural" endings, but to me they always come across as lackadaisical and borderline lazy. An ending should have some finality to it -- I shouldn't feel like they just all the sudden determined "Well I guess we've told our story. Let's end it here." I felt like Manchester should have had some final resolution or conflict or it should have ended sooner based on a couple earlier scenes that felt more final. Granted you can't judge a film merely by its final frames, but it's why I stated earlier that I think La La Land has a leg up on this film because its ending is so utterly fantastic. 

Technically speaking, Manchester is a fantastic film as well, though its contributions here are a bit more subtle. I did find that the editing was a tad odd in places and the overall runtime could be reduced from a few scenes and subplots that aren't really necessary. But aside from me digressing on that topic, it's a gorgeous film in a depressing sort of way. Winter is represented across the water in wide angle shots here and the camera likes to remain still and focus on characters without much shifting; it's perfect for this kind of film. I also really enjoyed the original score and soundtrack. It's full of lovely and calm orchestral pieces that swell and quietly play in the background. It does overtake some scenes here and there -- in a Hans Zimmer type of way, but not nearly as appropriate as the scenes that Zimmer chooses to do that -- but overall, it's a well utilized and incredibly fitting, somber score. 

"Ok now look like a boat, Casey!...Boat-ier!"

Manchester by the Sea is one of the highest rated films of the year. I may not agree with that, but I understand why and this is one of those critically acclaimed films that I enjoyed immensely while able to recognize that it won't make my "Best of" list. It's a combination of a heartbreaking story, strong human analysis, memorable performances, and solid imagery and music to make a beautiful, if not slightly plain film. 

CONS:

• Overlong by a tad. I think there were several scenes and a subplot or two that didn't need to be there
• A handful of odd editing transitions
• Slow beginning
• Somewhat random ending that just fades to credits
• Original score is overly boisterous in a couple scenes

PROS:

• A very real and raw film that analyzes grief and emotions in a very approachable way. It's a heartbreaking film at times and it will connect with you emotionally
• Its presentation of plot in the form of "past" story and "present" makes it unique and adds a lot to understanding these characters fully. I really enjoyed this aspect
• A grand performance by Affleck who is purposefully awkward and reserved save for a couple scenes of emotion
• Strong performances from everyone else too
• A really fitting original score. Might be one that I listen to in my free time
• Poignant cinematography and relaxed (i.e. stays put) camera stances throughout
• Thoughtful, and engrossing film that will make you feel something and internally think about how you, personally, handle grief

Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10