FILM | 'Manchester By The Sea' Review
'Manchester by the Sea' is about an uncle who is asked to care for his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies.
Positive reviews for this film have been fervent, especially with Casey Affleck recently winning a Golden Globe for his role in the film. However, there is still a lot to be critiqued.
Writer/Director Kenneth Lonergan's previous effort in 2011's 'Margaret' was yawn-worthy to say the least, and the only true credit to his name before that was 2002's 'Gangs of New York.' Suffice to say that even in watching 'Manchester by the Sea' with an open mind, it is hard to not come out a little let down. It's a film that perceives itself to be a real life drama, yet comes across as melodramatic and worthy of multiple rolls of the eyes.
Teen lothario Patrick, cared for by Lee Chandler (Affleck) is the main receiver of said eye rolls. Not only is his inability to bed his second girlfriend without her mother interrupting frustrating, but the dialogue between himself and Chandler quickly becomes a too-often repeated conversation. Their relationship is hardly something that's worth watching, which is problematic considering they are our protagonists.
Brilliant actress Michelle Williams is hardly given enough screen time – a major flaw with the direction of this film.
Unfortunately, 'Manchester by the Sea' seems little more than a series of singular shots sewn together, characters interweaving themselves through each other’s lives, and overlaid with haunting choir-like music.
Further to that, the use of flashbacks needed meaning in order to work, or at the very least should have linked to something happening in the character's life at present. If the flashbacks aren’t relevant, what's the point?
An explanation should be given as to why Lonergan went to such great lengths to develop scenes that didn't serve the story as well as they should have.
'Manchester by the Sea' is terribly slow, and thin on its dialogue, with long scenes where nothing seems to happen at all.
Does it deserve to be as critically acclaimed as it has been? No. Is it a decent film? Maybe, but only if you are into long-winded films with little audience engagement or compelling character interaction.
‘Manchester by the Sea’ is in cinemas across the U.K. and Australia now. Available on Netflix rental release in the U.S.A. from February 21st 2017.
