MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

(2016) Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is a blue collar hot-head working as a maintenance man for an apartment complex and is just getting by in a small Massachusetts town until he is suddenly called back to Manchester-by-the-Sea, when a fatal heart attack claims the life of his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler).  While taking care of business with the funeral arrangements and Joe's teenage son Patrick (Lucas Hedges), Lee learns that - being the only family left - he has been entrusted, via Joe's will, to stay in town and be Patrick's guardian ... which Lee politely but absolutely refuses.  In the course of 137 minutes (the film heavy with drama and at times moving with all the speed of a glacier), we learn Lee's story, that of a man bearing an unbearable secret and even worse pain, and stylistically this is a beautifully-made film with top-notch performances from the entire cast (Affleck and Hedges alone completely deserving of their Oscar nominations; Michelle Williams, in a much smaller role, barely created a blip on my radar).  Just be warned: "upbeat" is a word that would never be used to describe this film, and to me Affleck is sometimes a bit wooden in it, playing a character quite similar in mood and style to that of Bob Muldoon in his film Ain't Them Bodies Saints.  Both great performances, but this one not worthy of the Oscar win; not when held up to Andew Garfield in Hacksaw Ridge or Denzel Washington in Fences - Washington's work, especially, being one of the best on-screen performances put onto film in years.  Manchester by the Sea is a good, maybe great film - but too slow-paced and melodramatic for me, as well as just a bit too much of a downer. (rated R)  7/10 stars