#3. Manchester by the Sea
Numbers 1-3 on my list could be set in any order and a convincing argument could be made as to why that order is correct. Check out an critics best-of list and the top three are likely to be the same. With that said, having Kenneth Lonergan’s emotional powerhouse Manchester by the Sea in no way weakens it stance as one of the best movies of the decade. This is not a film of manipulative monologues, easy way outs, or even satisfying endings (in the traditional sense). This is a 137 minute slice of real life. Emotions cut deep and you feel them as deeply as the characters. Casey Affleck, in the role of his life, inherits guardianship of his late brother’s teenage son, a job Affleck’s Lee Chandler is by no means prepared for. Why is he so ill prepared? I’m going to let you see the movie to figure that one out. Manchester has one major surprise, aside from the riveting emotional drama, and that is the humor. How can the year’s saddest film also be its funniest? It’s possible, right here in Manchester by the Sea.
Numbers 1-3 on my list could be set in any order and a convincing argument could be made as to why that order is correct. Check out an critics best-of list and the top three are likely to be the same. With that said, having Kenneth Lonergan’s emotional powerhouse Manchester by the Sea in no way weakens it stance as one of the best movies of the decade. This is not a film of manipulative monologues, easy way outs, or even satisfying endings (in the traditional sense). This is a 137 minute slice of real life. Emotions cut deep and you feel them as deeply as the characters. Casey Affleck, in the role of his life, inherits guardianship of his late brother’s teenage son, a job Affleck’s Lee Chandler is by no means prepared for. Why is he so ill prepared? I’m going to let you see the movie to figure that one out. Manchester has one major surprise, aside from the riveting emotional drama, and that is the humor. How can the year’s saddest film also be its funniest? It’s possible, right here in Manchester by the Sea.