First off, writer/director Kenneth Lonergan's "Manchester By The Sea" has all the qualities any typical "Oscar bait" has -- solid writing, adept direction, lovely cinematography, and honed performances.
The story focuses on world-weary janitor Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck).
He heads to Manchester, MA, to see the body, make "arrangements," and tell his nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges) that his father has died.
We learn through a series of flashbacks that Joe had a heart condition. We also learn that Lee had previously lived in Manchester, with a wife (Michelle Williams) and kids.
A visit to Joe's attorney leads to the revelation that Lee has been left in charge of the estate, and that he is to be guardian of his nephew. Not only is Lee surprised by this news, he is visibly agitated at the notion.
Lee and Patrick have a familiar, if uncomfortable, bond. It isn't quite that of father and son, but it works in the short term.
Lee is set on returning to his spartan existence in Quincy, while Patrick wants to stay in Manchester at his school, with his friends, and on his hockey team.
The story then veers into both familiar and unfamiliar territory. We learn that Lee has skeletons in his closet, and a problem with alcohol. Patrick is a decent teenager, but his father had been raising him alone (his mother -- played by Gretchen Mol -- left during his formative years). The boy's interpersonal relationships suggest he could benefit from a strong parental influence.
To say the film is "heavy" is an understatement.
That's not surprising given the subject matter, but the narrative -- in all its brooding glory -- is not a neatly wrapped story of redemption that audiences might desire.
Some will argue Lee's journey in the film is truer to real life.
One of the stars of the film is the picture-postcard cinematography by Jody Lee Lipes. Some attractive views of the small coastal town are strewn throughout, adding depth to the story.
I do think the story could have benefited from some judicious editing. The 2 hour, 17 minute runtime was too long for the narrative it encompassed -- you can only take so many shots of a listless Casey Affleck staring off into space.
I also felt the musical stylings in the film left something to be desired.
How you react to "Manchester By The Sea" will ultimately depend on your expectations going in.
The Affleck brothers have a penchant for doing projects that show the existential crisis of blue collar Massachusetts ("The Town," "Gone Baby Gone," "Good Will Hunting").
This film is no exception to that rule, and captures their home state in all its dreary New England glory.
Rated R, Runtime: 2 hrs, 17 min
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