The main attraction is Casey Affleck's Oscar-winning performance.
When we meet Lee Chandler (Affleck) he is personally closed down, working as a handyman for an apartment complex in Quincy, Massachusetts. He is rude to some of his clients, exhibiting a latent anger. In an early flashback Lee is seen affectionately playing with his nephew Patrick aboard the family's lobster boat. For the first part of the movie I was left to wonder what caused the personality shift, that was a hook that kept my interest until the causative tragic event is revealed in a flashback. Credit has to be given to Affleck since he plays two different characters, the Lee before the event and the Lee afterward.
As the story develops the focus is on the relationship between Lee and his nephew Patrick. Lucas Hedges is surprisingly good as the teen-aged Patrick, earning an Oscar nomination. Michele Williams, as Lee's wife Randi, also earned an Oscar nomination; the acting carries this movie a long way. But wait, there is more (as the TV commercials say)--an Oscar win for Kenneth Lonergan's original screenplay and an Oscar nomination for him as best director.
There is much more to be appreciated beyond the fine acting and powerful story. Filming the movie in Manchester-by-the-Sea makes that setting an additional character. The environment is often used as counterpoint to some of the emotional scenes--a quick cut to an ocean-scape or the serenity of the small New England town allows for digesting what has gone before. The scenes in local bars add a feeling of authenticity. The light Boston accents ground this in the local environment so that it is hard to picture how the story would play out in a different setting.
The cinematography does not call attention to itself beyond being professionally done. On second viewing I paid more attention to the lighting and realized that care had been taken with this, particularly in some of the closeups of faces. The score ranges from Handel and Albinoni to popular. The classical pieces provide counterpoint to some of the more emotional scenes in much the same way that the location shots do.
There is no sugarcoating in the portrayal of the effect that tragedy has on Lee's life. Each person deals with grief in his or her own way and I found Lee's behavior believable and understandable. One of the beauties of the story is how subtle hints are given as to potential hope for Lee. The first time he smiles, later in the movie, is a breakthrough. An affectionate pat on Patrick's shoulder signals a minor thawing of Lee's chilly isolation. But the story does not reach any expected conclusion. It is heartbreaking when Lee says to Patrick, "I can't beat it."
When we meet Lee Chandler (Affleck) he is personally closed down, working as a handyman for an apartment complex in Quincy, Massachusetts. He is rude to some of his clients, exhibiting a latent anger. In an early flashback Lee is seen affectionately playing with his nephew Patrick aboard the family's lobster boat. For the first part of the movie I was left to wonder what caused the personality shift, that was a hook that kept my interest until the causative tragic event is revealed in a flashback. Credit has to be given to Affleck since he plays two different characters, the Lee before the event and the Lee afterward.
As the story develops the focus is on the relationship between Lee and his nephew Patrick. Lucas Hedges is surprisingly good as the teen-aged Patrick, earning an Oscar nomination. Michele Williams, as Lee's wife Randi, also earned an Oscar nomination; the acting carries this movie a long way. But wait, there is more (as the TV commercials say)--an Oscar win for Kenneth Lonergan's original screenplay and an Oscar nomination for him as best director.
There is much more to be appreciated beyond the fine acting and powerful story. Filming the movie in Manchester-by-the-Sea makes that setting an additional character. The environment is often used as counterpoint to some of the emotional scenes--a quick cut to an ocean-scape or the serenity of the small New England town allows for digesting what has gone before. The scenes in local bars add a feeling of authenticity. The light Boston accents ground this in the local environment so that it is hard to picture how the story would play out in a different setting.
The cinematography does not call attention to itself beyond being professionally done. On second viewing I paid more attention to the lighting and realized that care had been taken with this, particularly in some of the closeups of faces. The score ranges from Handel and Albinoni to popular. The classical pieces provide counterpoint to some of the more emotional scenes in much the same way that the location shots do.
There is no sugarcoating in the portrayal of the effect that tragedy has on Lee's life. Each person deals with grief in his or her own way and I found Lee's behavior believable and understandable. One of the beauties of the story is how subtle hints are given as to potential hope for Lee. The first time he smiles, later in the movie, is a breakthrough. An affectionate pat on Patrick's shoulder signals a minor thawing of Lee's chilly isolation. But the story does not reach any expected conclusion. It is heartbreaking when Lee says to Patrick, "I can't beat it."