Manchester By The Sea is a superb film, which takes its characters - and the viewer - on one heck of an emotional journey. With its exquisitely-shot wintry mise-en-scene and its chilly emotional bleakness, tonally it plays like a blue collar Ordinary People, similarly driven by adults with broken lives and a teenager caught in the middle of it all. Casey Affleck gives an absolutely mesmerising character performance here, with his barely-contained rage at the world and himself juxtaposed with emotional lockdown, playing so well with Lucas Hedges as his unexpected teenage ward, who balances being a typical teenager and handling grief so well on screen. Michelle Williams also gives another forensically strong supporting performance as the ex-wife. Lonergan also treats his audience with respect, using short or silent scenes and just-off-screen action that does not need to be made explicit. As we piece together the unspoken tragedy that brought the characters to this point through clever flashbacks, the pivotal reveal is absolutely devastating. This is a powerful film, displaying excellent writing, directing and performances, with characters that have real impact.
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