This isn't usually my favourite kind of movie. I'll often derisively refer to the genre as "a serious look at some sad guy's life". Examples are plentiful and they usually sweep awards season, but I'm not prone to getting overly enthusiastic just because someone dreamed up a miserable situation and presented it through drab realism. But it's been a rough week, and a melancholy flick felt like what the doctor ordered. There are differing perspectives on matching mood to art. I know that when my wife is bummed, she'll reach for an escapist comedy to swing the vibe in the opposite direction, where I'm more inclined to lean into it and put on the most depressing album I have. I think I understand her logic more than my own, as I'm not even sure how helpful reflecting emotions through media actually is. At the very least, it's escapism, allowing yourself to get wrapped up in someone else's problems to forget about your own for a minute. At best, it can offer some perspective, as Casey Affleck's situation was far worse than anything I've ever had to go through.
Good stretches of the film certainly rub your nose in the humdrum day to day of some relatively average characters. It treads close to getting boring before some jarring flashbacks shake up the narrative. At first, they're a bit confusing, but force your attention until you can figure out the timeline. Things come together pretty quickly before you're treated to a wallop of a reveal. The central tragedy hits like a truck and just had me dumbfoundedly making a sour face for several minutes. If that's what counts as pay off in this kind of drama, they certainly had a zinger up their sleeve that's absolutely heartbreaking while unfortunately completely plausible. The reactions are equally true to life, with Affleck projecting a broken despondency through minimal emotional displays. It felt like how I picture myself reacting to something equally heavy, making it easy to relate to and feel for the character.
If you need something to lift your spirits, maybe steer clear of this, but if you want a glum film in your life for one reason or another, Manchester by the Sea may just mope it's way into your heart.
Good stretches of the film certainly rub your nose in the humdrum day to day of some relatively average characters. It treads close to getting boring before some jarring flashbacks shake up the narrative. At first, they're a bit confusing, but force your attention until you can figure out the timeline. Things come together pretty quickly before you're treated to a wallop of a reveal. The central tragedy hits like a truck and just had me dumbfoundedly making a sour face for several minutes. If that's what counts as pay off in this kind of drama, they certainly had a zinger up their sleeve that's absolutely heartbreaking while unfortunately completely plausible. The reactions are equally true to life, with Affleck projecting a broken despondency through minimal emotional displays. It felt like how I picture myself reacting to something equally heavy, making it easy to relate to and feel for the character.
If you need something to lift your spirits, maybe steer clear of this, but if you want a glum film in your life for one reason or another, Manchester by the Sea may just mope it's way into your heart.