High-water mark

Writer/director Kenneth Lonergan’s films are all finely observed, compassionate portraits of human failures and foibles. His last, 2011’s Margaret, was as close to being a masterpiece as any American movie of recent years ... and nobody saw it. His latest, Manchester by the Sea, is not quite the same emotional kick-in-the-guts, but in many ways is equally extraordinary.

 

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

Director: Kenneth Lonergan
Cast: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Gretchen Mol, Lucas Hedges
Rating: (R13)
Four stars (out of five)

 

Hard going at times, yet with a strong undercurrent of humour throughout, much of the praise for this has naturally focused on Casey Affleck’s brooding and complex performance. He plays Lee Chandler, whom we first meet in high spirits, joking with his brother Joe and nephew Patrick as they go boating.

Cut to present day, and the Lee we find is isolated, moody: a very different man from the one we just saw. He abuses tenants in the building where he works as janitor, picks fights at local bars, and otherwise keeps a surly demeanour. It becomes clear that something has happened to Lee which has broken him: a tragic event, truly heartbreaking when finally revealed, has left his relationship with the world irreversibly damaged.

When his brother dies, Lee becomes guardian to his now 16-year-old nephew (Lucas Hedges in a star-making turn), and their awkward connection forms the heart of the story. But as in reality, there are no tidy resolutions or feel-good endings, just the sense of people getting by in life against sometimes overwhelming odds. Highly recommended.

- Jeremy Quinn

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