Manchester By The Sea (2016)

USA
written and directed by: Kenneth Lonergan
starring: Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, Kyle Chandler
seen: 19th September, 2017

-"Who you gonna shoot? You or me?"

As a person with my own trauma from the past I very much appreciate a story about a death of a parent that exclusively avoids the whole set of clichés and stupid patterns that are usually used in american films like this. I found the character of Patrick both extraordinarily written and acted, and if I were to say that somebody deserved and Oscar for this film, I would definitely point out Lucas Hedges. It is so refreshing to see a film teenager behave sensibly, distinctively and believably and process his emotions internally and not by "rebellious" shouting at others.

Casey Affleck has a place in my heart ever since "The Assassination Of Jesse James" and once again I am forced to admire his ability to express a wide spectrum of emotions without visibly doing anything. Sadly, my biggest problem with this film is tied to his character, and that is the most inappropriate visualisation of the central flashback. The film stays remarkably civil (given the themes it touches) before and after, but the cuts from a stationary Affleck into the tragic past are almost gutless emotional blackmail accompanied by conspicuous music. It sticks out from the overall stylistic concept, and not in a good way. It also signals that authors favour the past rather than the present (and I would wanted it the other way round) and prefer Affleck's relationship with his wife over his connection with his nephew (and I would wanted it the other way round).

On the other hand, I was very happy to see a reference to my favourite Freudian dream about the burning child, although it also kind of doesn't belong into a realistic story. In conclusion, "Manchester" seems to me like a properly hand-crafted product with some qualities, but after a while of thinking and feeling it doesn't contain anything that would make me want to see it again, think back to it in certain situations or admire it as a whole.