Manchester by the Sea

Films in the drama genre have the challenge of creating characters and a situation that the audience can identify with. Those movies deal with issues such as romantic entanglements, pregnancy, family troubles, gender issues, grieving, dreams, and anything else in between. Their success depends on the performances of the actors, how the topic is effectively handled, and how well the two factors mix together. The kind of drama movies I enjoy watching are either biographical, coming of age, romantic, or a dramatic comedy as long as there is a simple relatable premise and nothing convoluted. When I saw the trailer for Manchester by the Sea, it didn't reveal too much but shown enough interactions between the characters as well as story bits to convince me to go watch it. After hearing a lot of great buzz about it, I went to see it in a surprisingly full theater ready to see if it will challenge my emotions and left the theater moved by the powerful experience this film provided.

Plot: The story follows our main character who learns about his brothers death and moves to Manchester to deal with the effects of his brothers will. He has been named as sole guardian of his nephew and throughout the story works to make a decision that will affect how the state of affairs will be in regards to both of them in the long term. The plot has a memories of the past mixed with what's going on in the present to explain the reason behind the behavior of the main character as well as show the relationship he had with his brother before his passing. It challenges the audience to be smart enough to piece together the story and motivations of our protagonist. In return, the story loses its predictability and lets you soak in the experience as well as feel what the main characters are going through. Overall the plot moves very well in letting the audience figure out the past life influencing the main characters of the present.

Characters: There are three characters to focus on: Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck), Patrick Chandler (Lucas Hedges), and Randi Chandler (Michelle Williams). Lee is a gruff anti-social janitor who is haunted by a tragic past. Casey give a powerful performance as this troubled character in his subdued actions. The challenge of showing the past and present versions of Lee allow Casey to provide a great transition and contrast in his acting chops. Patrick is the moody awkward teenage nephew of Lee and son of the brother who passes away in the beginning of the story. Lucas does a great job in showing a realistic view of going through grieving while also trying to move forward with the normalcy in his life. Both of them share a great chemistry with each other throughout the story as Lee figures out the next plans of their lives in the long term for the better. Randi is Lee's ex-wife and doesn't appear in the movie that much since most of the story revolves around Lee and Casey. That being said, Michelle also does a great job in this supporting role as she shows the contrast of her character in the past and present. Once the backstory is figured out, it's easier to figure out how she feels once she runs into Casey in the present. Overall the casting and characters are excellent in what's demanded of them in regards to the story, especially with the task of showing the contrast between past and present to get a better understanding.

Overall Consensus: The realism throughout Manchester by the Sea shouldn't be underestimated and is an emotional experience with the sympathetic nature surrounding it's main characters as its empowered even more by the performances of the main cast. ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑🍿

Reasons to watch it: You enjoy watching hard hitting subdued drama movies. You like Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, and/or Michelle Williams. You like watching movies with pieces of flashbacks involved throughout plot that lets you piece together what's happening. You are looking for a small scaled movie that showcases powerful performances with great emotional payoffs. You like watching films that have a slow pace.

Reasons to avoid it: You don't like watching drama movies. You don't like any of the actors involved. You prefer movies that tell you how characters are feeling rather than figure out from watching flashbacks from the past. You don't want to watch a drama movie that involves a grieving process and a funeral. You don't want to watch slow paced movies.

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