Manchester by the Sea

Manchester by the Sea is all about loss and grief and family. You've probably heard this movie is very sad. It is sad because of what it has to say, not because it manipulates you with its choices or because it is pushing the drama to heighten any sense of tragedy.

The movie nails its tone and is filled with such spot on choices! I love the scenes that play out without sound. Several times throughout we watch things unfold without hearing the conversation, without experiencing the particulars. We watch from a distance and listen to the music play out and we get everything we need from those scenes. So much is held back in terms of exposition or on-the-nose dialog and it strikes a great balance between feeling real and getting all the essential information to the viewer.

I also love the use of flashbacks to reveal the past, a past which echoes into the present and informs every choice and action made by the main character.

Much has been said about Casey Affleck's portrayal in this film and for good reason. He too strikes a balance, showing us a person who is never far from falling apart, who feels an intense love and warmth for his family and yet noting at all for himself.

The music at first perplexed me in this film. In an early scene I was watching Casey Affleck clean toilets with a serene, choral piece of music as score. I couldn't figure out why that was the choice until a couple scenes later when I realized that we are basically listening to a mortuary mix tape. The whole movie is a funeral when you judge it by its music! It's kind of chilling.

This is the kind of movie that sticks with you for days, where you will be sitting and apropos of nothing you start musing on what a particular scene meant or suddenly hearing a conversation between characters in a new way. It's certainly worthy of the honors it is receiving.

As a post script, it sure sucks that Casey Affleck allegedly sexually harassed and assaulted those two women a while ago. You can read about the allegations here. Is it possible that was just a mistake during a bad phase in his life? Or is he just always a creep and no one talks about it? Whatever the case, I'm sure it is not much fun for those women to sit back and watch him lauded for his brilliance this time of year. I don't know that I agree that denying him the Oscar helps their cause at all, but I support you if that feels right to you. I just know we need to keep talking about it. It doesn't do any good for anyone to stay silent.