March Favorite
Manchester By The Sea
Wow. Last night I finally watched “Manchester By The Sea” and I’m still in this “mood”… A bit tough since I’m back in the office this morning. It’s hard to explain but if you saw this movie you know exactly what I’m talking about.
So how could I tell you about this movie without telling too much…? Probably not at all…
Just a few words:
Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) works as a janitor and lives in a lousy basement in a city where he doesn’t know anyone and doesn’t want to get to know anyone. It appears as if he’s lacking any emotions, he drinks a lot and picks a fight whenever possible. As if he couldn’t care less. Even when his brother dies and he has to go back home – to Manchester by the sea – it leaves him cold, it seems. Pretty soon I got the feeling that something is wrong with him or something went wrong in his past. But although I knew it was coming, the review hit me hard and in the end I had more mascara on my face than on my eyelashes. And I’m not usually a crybaby.
In the beginning you might find his don’t-give-a-f&!k-behaviour strange or at times even a bit funny (for example when he meets the lady with the broken shower) but at least starting in the middle of the movie I felt deep understanding and compassion. Because what could be left being important after events like these… He is haunted by guilt and doesn’t allow himself to be happy or even live a good life.
I’ve always had a little crush on Casey Affleck – probably since 20 years when he played a little role in Good Will Hunting next to his big brother Ben Affleck – but this movie is his best yet. By far!
Is it just me with my kind of distinctive “helper’s syndrome” or do you just want to hug him? He acts so fantastic in this film, I absolutely believed him and I had to take a deep breath and tell myself it was just a movie (although… well… cruel things happen in real life too and we should all think twice before judging, insulting or mistreating others..).
Oh and Michelle Williams and Lucas Hedges perform their parts heartbreakingly good.
This is a Must-See! Go watch this terrific movie even when you’re not usually into drama, this one is so worth seeing! I cross my fingers for the Oscars tonight – it would be well deserved!
