Manchester by the Sea

Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea

Kenneth Lonergan's Manchester by the Sea is another solid addition to his oeuvre, but does seem to display his limitations as a maker of films. Casey Affleck plays a traumatized super who must travel to the titular town to bury a brother and assume guardianship of his sixteen year old nephew. He is extremely reluctant to take on the latter task, in part because he is still grieving from the loss of his own three children in a fire.

The film follows Affleck's character as he sorts through his brother's affairs and attempts to reach a rapprochement with his nephew. The nephew, well played by Lucas Hedges, is not eager to uproot his life. He enjoys his school friends, playing hockey, and sowing his oats with two girlfriends. He represents a vitality that Affleck's character has lost. Affleck's Lee Chandler is haunted by his past, which is shown in flashback sequences, and tries to drawn his pain in alcohol and misdirected violence.

If this all sounds a bit lugubrious, well it is. I especially found the choral music on the soundtrack by Handel and the like to be over-egging the pudding. Yet. Affleck's justly praised performance keeps this film from wallowing in a pit of morbidity. Indeed, as in Lonergan's two previous films, the quality of the acting is exemplary: Kyle Chandler, Michelle Williams, Gretchen Mol, Tate Donovan, C.J. Wilson and Matthew Broderick all shine.

Lonergan here reminds me of another talent with roots in the theater, Ingmar Bergman. Particularly in his "faith" trilogy in which modern men and women grapple with overwhelming despair. Casey Affleck hearing of his nephew's sexploits reminds me of Harriet Andersson teasing her younger brother in Through a Glass Darkly about his porno mags before she succumbs to her demons and starts envisioning God as a giant spider. I get the sense of a talented artist wrestling with his concerns about family, faith, and forgiveness, but miss the more polyphonic strains that ran through You Can Count on Me and Margaret; both of which were hardly upbeat. Manchester by the Sea is one of the better American films of 2016, but it is also one of the least ingratiating ones.

If anything. I am being overly harsh on the film. Like Bergman, Lonergan is not among the most visually dynamic film directors, but, through his moral seriousness and the psychological complexity of his characters, he has emerged as a significant voice. A key to this film may be Lonergan's cameo as a bloviating passer-by who berates Affleck for bad parenting. Judge not, is the moral implied, lest ye be judged. A useful message for all, especially would be film critics. (3/8/17)