Photo credit: Courtesy of Production
Manchester By The Sea film synopsis: “An uncle is obliged to return home to care for his nephew after his brother dies. Unknowing he is to be the guardian and struggles with the decision. Throughout the movie he recounts past memories that caused him to leave Manchester and distance himself from his past. Lee Chandler is a brooding, irritable loner who works as a handyman for a Boston apartment block. One damp winter day he gets a call summoning him to his hometown, north of the city. His brother’s heart has given out suddenly, and he’s been named guardian to his 16-year-old nephew. As if losing his only sibling and doubts about raising a teenager weren’t enough, his return to the past re-opens an unspeakable tragedy.” IMDb
This is a hard one. The reason to like this movie is that it’s real life, which moves slowly. It is also a reason to pause before putting it in the winners circle because it moves slowly. It is exactly the kind of movie we like and the performance by Casey Affleck is admirable because in real life, others in his situation would probably retreat as he does into his own shell. Conflicted about this one.
