Manchester by the Sea is arguably the best film to come out of America about grief. Written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, it starred Casey Affleck as a man dealing with devastating personal trauma.
It’s a brutal film. To say it’s “depressing” would be a tedious way of putting it, as there’s much more than that going on here. We feel like it was created for people who are never going to get over a personal trauma, in which case they can find solace in this 2016 production and its many merits.
The Persistence of Trauma in Manchester by the Sea
The challenging and intense drama Mass (2021) was very much on the same lines as Manchester by the Sea. That’s one of the closest comparisons we can make, as both films deal with the harsh reality some emotional wounds will never heal.
As director Kenneth Lonergan told Rolling Stone in February 2016 (the story behind Sundance 2016’s best movie):
“I don’t like the fact that, nowadays, it feels like it’s not permissible to leave something unresolved. I mean, what is closure? Some people never get that. Some people live with their trauma for years. I’m not interested in rubbing people’s faces in suffering, or in saying, ‘These are the tough facts of life that I know and you don’t!’ But I don’t like this lie that everybody gets over things that easily. Some people can’t get over something major that’s happened to them at all; why can’t they have a movie, too? Why can’t there be one film about somebody who doesn’t magically bounce back?”
That’s the approach Lonergan took, with the story following a grief-stricken man called Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck). He’s sullen and distant, often getting verbally or physically abusive between bouts of normality, although the start of the film doesn’t explain why.
As the story develops we see flashbacks with his former wife Randi Ellington (Michelle Williams), with the revelation Chandler was once a big socialiser, loud, and one of the lads.
It emerges their three children died in a terrible housefire. One triggered by a half-drunk Chandler, from the above evening of drunkenness, who then can’t comprehend how to deal with the consequences.
In his present day, away from the flashbacks, his brother dies. But his brother’s will request Chandler looks after the 16-year-old son Patrick (Lucas Hedges).
The central plot arc then follows Chandler as he attempts to fulfil his brother’s wishes, but his internal struggles are so severe he, ultimately, has to abandon his duties. Something he explains to Patrick, who is smart enough to understand why that’s happening.
And that’s the story, very well told, extremely well acted by Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams. She doesn’t have much screen time, but when she is present she really delivers some incredibly emotive moments, particularly with one now iconic scene towards the end of the story.
It’s certainly a film intended to make you approach this topic with a new perspective. There’s no Hollywood gloss here, no upbeat ending with everyone skipping off with linked arms into the sunset.
The film offers a very realistic portrayal of grief. An issue so bad for the lead character that it would be impossible to ever recover from it.
From within that, we feel people stuck in a similar situation can turn to great cinema like this for therapy. It’s an intelligent story, very well written, and the direction offers a compassionate hand of support. Rather than any fake answers.
The Production of Manchester by the Sea
Despite its themes, the film was quite a big success. Off its $9 million budget it made $79 million worldwide, showing cinema audiences will attend films like this. And not just popcorn fodder.
It won a bunch of Oscars, too, with Best Actor for Affleck and Best Original Screenplay. 10 years after its launch (January 2016 at the Sundance Film Festival), it’s considered one of the best films of this century.
Matt Damon was involved in the production early on and it was expected he’d direct the film. However, after reading the script he insisted Kenneth Lonergan (who he’d worked with before) take the job.
Matt Damon was then intended to star in the lead role, but conflicting schedules led to Casey Affleck getting lead. He’s the younger brother of Ben Affleck.
The film was shot from March 23rd to April 30th 2015. The scenes were all shot in the very pretty Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, which is a beautiful little coastal town.
The location was just called Manchester prior to 1990, the big deal there being we’re from near to Manchester in the UK. That name gets around and adds a personal touch for us to this fine film.
