Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.5

Manchester by the Sea Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 17, 2017

Many of you have no doubt seen a meme on various social media outlets which states something along the lines of be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about, an aphorism which has been variously attributed (in various forms) to everyone from Plato to Philo of Alexandria to Ian Maclaren to Wendy Mass. The fact that most people, indeed perhaps everyone, is dealing with “personal issues” that they often don’t readily share with others is probably a given, but Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea takes that basic idea and dangles it in front of the audience for a while before ultimately revealing a seemingly distant but still viscerally felt tragedy that has colored several people’s lives, none more so than Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck), a reserved and seemingly depressive handyman working in the outskirts of Boston. Lonergan is no stranger to subtext, as his two previous films as writer-director, You Can Count on Me and Margaret, have proven. (Lonergan’s credits as writer are a rather odd assortment, including everything from Analyze This / Analyze That to The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle to Gangs of New York, films so disparate that they prove Lonergan’s versatility if nothing else.) Subtext fairly drips from the first hour or so of Manchester by the Sea, a film which in a way seems to reverse some of the plot mechanics of You Can Count on Me by having Lee return to his hometown of Manchester by the Sea after the death of his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler). That tragedy would seem to be enough to inform the film’s narrative, for once Lee returns home, he’s almost immediately saddled with the realization that he has been named the guardian of Joe’s rakish son Patrick (Lucas Hedges). But there’s obviously something else coloring these characters’ lives, and that gives the narrative momentum of Manchester by the Sea a kind of ominously foreboding ambience, perhaps only exacerbated by the fact that no one seems to be willing to talk about what’s “really” going on.

Lonergan plays with time in Manchester by the Sea, thrusting flashbacks into the story in an almost shoehorned fashion, something that no doubt indicates how intense and frankly unpredictably persistent memories can be. The “current time” narrative involves Lee trying to forge (or re- forge) a relationship with Patrick, all while the family deals with the after effects of Joe’s death, something that kind of comically leads to Joe’s body literally being put on ice until winter has passed and Manchester by the Sea’s notoriously hard, frozen ground will have thawed enough for a proper burial. This kind of bleak, indeed black, humor suffuses Manchester by the Sea at odd intervals, but it’s to Lonergan’s credit that there really aren’t any tonal inconsistencies in the presentation, despite an unavoidably dour and melancholic feeling that wafts through much of the film.

Flashbacks intrude in a kind of fragmented way, offering insight into happier times and relationships that seem downright healthy, including those between Lee and his wife Randi (Michelle Williams). It’s not hard to draw some kind of conclusion from the fact that the contemporary timeframe shows Lee desperately alone and isolated, and again hints of some unspeakable sadness tend to inform many scenes ostensibly about something else, like the veritable elephant in the room. An unmistakable ostracization of Lee by various people makes it clear that Lee’s history has taken a decided detour somewhere along the way, but, again, Lonergan merely teases the audience for a while, before delivering what is an undeniably horrifying revelation (which won’t be spoiled here).

While the sadness underlying not just Joe’s death but Lee’s own history is an unavoidable part of the emotional ambience of Manchester by the Sea, the real through line in the film is actually the establishment of a working relationship between Lee and Patrick. Here the film shows the halting, tamped down manner of these northeastern males, probably circumscribed by their own self imposed notions of “masculinity”, something that is only further hobbled by either an inability or unwillingness to articulate what’s going on inside their hearts. While that male bonding provides a lot of developmental angles, probably the single biggest burst of emotion comes courtesy of a brief, heart wrenching scene between Lee and Randi, one which again highlights Lee’s stumbling way with trying to express himself (something that probably only adds to the angst of the moment).

While the narrative of Manchester by the Sea may be intentionally shattered and kind of slow moving, there’s no arguing with Lonergan’s mastery of character and dialogue. This film is an actor’s showcase, and Affleck has amassed literally scores of awards for his performance and is according to some prognosticators the odds on favorite to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. What’s kind of amazing about this recognition is that the character of Lee and Affleck’s portrayal of him are both on the quiet side, aside from certain fits of pique that erupt from time to time. Affleck manages to create a believable, emotionally withdrawn character without resorting to “mumble core” tactics, resulting in one of the most memorable performances of the year.

Manchester by the Sea Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Manchester by the Sea is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Digitally shot with Arri Alexa cameras, the film doesn't offer a lot of opportunity for outright visual "pop", especially since so much of the contemporary time frame takes place in wintery climes, but a lot of the outdoor photography, whether snowbound or sunnier flashback sequences, offers sharp and well detailed accountings of the often incredibly scenic environment. A lot of the current time frame is on the cool side, color temperature wise, with an emphasis on blues, whites and grays, something that can make occasional bursts of color as in bright winter sweaters look vivid, if only by comparison. Fine detail is excellent in proper lighting and especially in close-ups. As tends to be the case with some digitally shot features, there are occasional deficits in shadow definition in some dimly lit interior scenes, notably several scenes inside the family home, either in the current time frame or in flashbacks, some of which are kind of drenched in a honey amber hue. While there aren't any major compression artifacts, there was a kind of odd horizontal shadow of some sort that shows up intermittently in an early scene where Lee is being chastised by his supervisor for talking back to a tenant. I watched it a couple of times to see if it was a lighting issue, but wasn't able to authoritatively determine what caused it. A couple of the outdoor scenes were slightly softer looking than the bulk of the presentation.

Manchester by the Sea Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There's a lot of music in Manchester by the Sea, and those ubiquitous source cues offer good opportunities for the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 to open up and spread sonic information around the surround channels. A recurring use of the family boat for various sequences also offers some good placement of water sounds and other ambient environmental effects. But by and large this is a quiet film that builds intensity out of more intimate dialogue moments, scenes where surround activity may be limited to occasional environmental sounds but which otherwise doesn't offer a lot of "wow" factor. Fidelity is fine and there are no problems with distortion, dropouts or other damage.

Manchester by the Sea Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Conversation with Director / Writer Kenneth Lonergan is a kind of fancy name for an audio commentary who is joined by (what sounds like) Peter Ventrella, who identifies himself as content producer.


• Emotional Lives: Making Manchester by the Sea (1080p; 16:00) is a typical EPK with some heartfelt interviews.


• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 5:50)

Manchester by the Sea Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Manchester by the Sea is an emotionally wrenching experience, and it's hard to make it through the film without experiencing a lump or two in the throat. Buoyed by some impressive performances and a beautifully rendered sense of place and character, this may not be an "easy" film to watch, but it's extremely worthwhile. I personally had a few issues with so much different source music being shoehorned into the proceedings (some of the cues, as in the scene where Lee has to view his brother's corpse, just seemed needlessly overwrought), but otherwise this is a remarkable effort that deserves the many accolades it's been receiving. Technical merits are strong, and Manchester by the Sea comes Highly recommended.