Cast: Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Matthew Broderick

Writer/Director: Kenneth Lonergan

Duration: 137 mins

He is growing in reputation with each film he offers – and Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester By the Sea” won’t fail to lift him into the upper echelons of top creative directors. Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is a jack-of-all-trades/janitor for four residential buildings in Quincy near Boston. His work is completed calmly and competently, and although he appears to have sufficient patience with most householders, he trudges on, shovelling the exterior entrances of snow, sorting out the dripping taps and unblocking the toilets - almost always without complaint (with one amusing exception). Later on in a bar – a woman clearly flirts with him, only to be ignored – then almost at closing time he observes two men on the other side of the bar, half-glancing at him – and this sets him off into a bruising brawl with the pair. Gradually thereafter, as he drives off to Manchester-By-the-Sea, to deal with the sudden heart attack of his older brother, Joe (Kyle Chandler), the narrative very gradually unravels the reason for his odd behaviour. Back in the titular town he is twice referred to as the Lee Chandler, which opens up curiosity about his earlier experiences. Sadly, brother Joe has failed to recover from his condition, and when his will is read and Lee discovers he is now the guardian of 15-year-old Patrick (Lucas Hedges), he again verges on another outburst. “I’m just a backup,” he says. Later, in flashback, we see him with wife, Randi (Michelle Williams), and their children, which of course supplies the reason for his extreme behavioural twists and why he now lives in a small, cramped basement home in Quincy and his reluctance to permanently return to Manchester-By-the-Sea. 

Lee’s tragedy is heartbreaking. Following an evening with his friends in his own home, he finds that the house is quite chilly, so he starts a fire in the fireplace to warm up the house and in particular the upstairs bedroom where his children are asleep. He then walks down to the nearest store to purchase more beer, omitting to ensure the fire-guard is in place on the hearth. When he returns - he is aghast to find his house ablaze - with his wife Randi surviving - alas unlike his children. Lee isn’t charged with murder but the intense guilt on his conscience clearly indicates that he most certainly wishes he was, and when the investigating police officers inform him that he’s free to go, he suddenly grabs a passing uniformed cop’s handgun from the holster and tries to blow his brains out in the station. His basement flat in Quincy masquerades as his punishment, his prison cell – with Lee doing life without parole. Part of his potential new role remit as nephew Patrick’s guardian requires him to remain in the town he left - but he doesn’t want to stay in Manchester. Unlike Patrick, who has many friends, two girlfriends, a gig as guitarist in a band, a school he’s clearly happy attending, plus his beloved late father’s boat. So he certainly doesn’t relish the possibility of uprooting from his home. Despite this, Lee attempts to make a go of it, asking around town for any possible work and almost inevitably, he bumps into his now ex-wife - in what is a brilliantly performed and extremely powerful scene. Casey Affleck as Lee is quite outstanding, and also worth mentioning is the excellent work from both Lucas Hedges and Michelle Williams. But this is Lonergan’s film, beautifully written, shot and realised, full of honesty and understanding, of things that aren’t said and those which need not be said. The end redemption is less than huge, but much more poignant for that.