I couldn’t help but think of my good friend Jake, co-host of the “Cult of Muscle” podcast. He’s long since had reservations about Casey Affleck, dismissing quite a few of his performances. Mind you, he’s never outright said he’s a bad actor; just one who showboats too much. He’s the kind of actor that is obviously trying to act as opposed to becoming one with the character. There are exceptions to this rule (“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” springs to mind), but on the whole he felt Casey was the lesser of his parts. While I don’t entirely agree with him, I see his viewpoints and share them from time to time.
I thought of Jake during my screening of “Manchester by the Sea” because it proved that Casey Affleck can act with the best of them! This is, without a doubt, his best performance to date; quite possibly a career-defining one! He never once showboats nor makes it obvious that he’s acting. He becomes one with his character, embodying the role of Lee Chandler. Not once did I think I was watching Casey Affleck act, but was fully invested in the belief that he was Lee Chandler. I pine for performances like this!
Lee Chandler is as broken as a man can get. He’s living in the basement of an apartment complex in Quincy, acting as the residence’s lowly custodian. He’s clearly skilled in plumbing, his skills wasted on the mundane cleaning tasks. He’s a distant fellow, lashing out at an unruly tenant. He picks fights in bars in order to feel alive, the beer he guzzles down nearly robbing him of life.
He is awoken from his haze upon the news that his brother, Joe (Kyle Chandler), has passed away. He travels up to Manchester to pay his respects and aid in the funeral arrangements, only to discover he is given custody of his brother’s son, Patrick (Lucas Hedges), as stated in his will. This includes compensation for moving costs, the belief that he’ll uproot to raise the teenager. Lee is oblivious to all of this, the meticulous details of the arrangement unbeknownst to him (his brother knew the response he’d receive had he clued Lee in). This sends him into a whirlwind of confusion and anxiety, tension arising between him and his nephew over the ramifications.
Through well-placed flashbacks, we are clued into Lee’s troubled past. We get glimpses of his former marriage to Randi (Michelle Williams), a loving relationship replete with the usual issues (arguments over late night with friends, parental disputes, etc.). It’s clear something went wrong along the way, Lee’s current state not matching the blissful nature of this passage in time. I got the sense immediately that he screwed up, what with the murmurings from townsfolk and his detached demeanor. I couldn’t have predicted the result of his current anguish; a gut punch of the highest order
The flashbacks, for the most part, are implemented well. They act almost as PTSD for Lee, including one nightmare sequence that whips him back into shape. Kenneth Lonergan utilizes them to cleverly bypass exposition, giving just enough detail to fill in the gaps for the viewer. There is the rare occasion in which a flashback is awkwardly implanted into the proceedings, not matching up with Lee’s psychosis. It’s ever so brief, but the whiplash of it is mildly felt.
I had a similar minor grievance with the score, conducted by Lesley Barber. The majority of it is fine, evoking the spirit of classical orchestra found in plays and operas. A score that is bombastic in tone to highlight the impact of tragedy. It is fitting in scenes such as the funeral, poetically capturing the essence of the drama. It is not, however, befitting of one such tragedy that is indicative of Lee’s depressed mental state. The score needed to be quiet and somber to match the mood. Instead, it is loud, mimicking that of a grand play, not an understated slice of life. It is a minor issue, but one, much like the flashback, that is mildly felt and slightly distracting.
Again, these are but minor grievances. They detract so minutely from the overall production, which is a splendid and heartbreaking observation of the human spirit! Lonergan is an anamoly: a playwright who can craft screwball comedy ala “Analyze This” & “The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle” as well as subdued drama ala “You Can Count on Me” & “Gangs of New York” (amidst the brutal violence, mind you). He combines the comedy and drama splendidly, both parties feeling organic as opposed to scripted. The dialogue is reminiscent to that of “Good Will Hunting,” comraderie amidst the depression. The film feels authentic and honest, the characters handled with care.
Lee is prone to violent outbursts, which seem offputting at first. Townsfolk pick up on it bemusedly, sometimes confronting him on it. They act as our avatar, striking out towards a seemingly miserable curmudgeon. We, unlike them, know more about his melancholy, tipped off brilliantly by the defense of his family. Patrick immediately comes to his aid during an altercation with a nosy stranger, not out of fear of Lee, but for him. He knows of his painful past, pieces of which at this point were still being put together in the flashbacks, his empathy towards his uncle shining through. Subtle moments such as this endeared me to Lee, making his eventual revelation all the more powerful.
Also subtle is the bonding of Lee & Patrick. The two need each other, the nephew reinstilling Lee’s faith in humanity and the uncle giving Patrick a dose of reality. Lonergan never beats us over the head with this, though, allowing the intimacy of individual moments to speak for themselves. Take for instance the scene in which Lee consoles Patrick following a panic attack. He stiffly sits by his bedside comforting him, after kicking the door down as if it were a dire emergency. This highlighted Lee’s fear of loss and inadequacy. This is ever so present when Patrick bellows in frustration over his uncle’s dismissal of him, wanting to relocate to Boston or give up custody altogether. We see the pain in Lee’s eyes and upon his reaction; he is hurt at the notion, as he is only doing what he thinks is best. It is clear in this moment and many others that these two love each other.
Both Casey Affleck & Lucas Hedges are astonishing in their roles! As I mentioned earlier, Casey is Lee Chandler, carrying the weight of his burden all too well. His slunken posture, pained eyes, and despondence from reality paint a telling picture. Flashes of compassion towards his nephew and ex-wife fervently convey his desire to get his life back on track, despite the insurmountable hurdles presented to him in the form of his personal demons. Hedges is just as poignant, battling panic attacks brought upon his father’s death and rocky relationship with his formerly alcoholic mother, Elise (Gretchen Mol). He handles the awkwardness of a reserved dinner with her new beau, Jeffrey (Matthew Broderick), tremendously! I could feel his anxiety enveloping him, it all but bursting upon a follow-up e-mail from Jeffrey. He is as pained as his uncle is, resorting to teenage antics (such as dating multiple girls and performing in a band) to distract him.
“Manchester by the Sea” is as beautiful as it is haunting! A liberating experience that speaks to the souls of the downtrodden. It is proof that Casey Affleck is a great actor, that Lucas Hedges will be a star, and that Lonergan is a force to be reckoned with. I was uplifted just as much as I welled up, finding the beauty in life amongst the tragedy.
I hope Jake sees this film, as I’d love to hear his thoughts on Casey Affleck now!
Final Rating: A-