Review: Casey Affleck shines in ‘Manchester by the Sea’ (+ trailer)

Casey Affleck finally gets the role he deserves in “Manchester by the Sea,” which opens in Wichita on Friday.

He completely inhabits his character in a roiling, full-bodied performance that is already deservedly winning best actor awards and is surely his ticket to an Oscar (he was previously nominated for best supporting actor for 2007’s “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”).

The film itself is quietly devastating at times, humorous at others. But it’s always engrossing as we get caught up in the everyday characters’ worlds.

Affleck plays Lee, a janitor working in Boston who is clearly not enjoying his life, drinking in bars, starting fights. He’s surly, taciturn, keeps to himself.

He gets a call one day telling him that his brother, Joe (Kyle Chandler, TV’s “Friday Night Lights”), has died of a heart attack. So he returns home to Manchester to deal with the arrangements.

In flashbacks (ocurring throughout the film), we learn that Joe had had previous heart problems, so his death doesn’t seem that much of a shock to his son, Patrick (Lucas Hedges, who impressively holds his own against Affleck). He seems to take the news pretty matter-of-factly (a little too much so, really).

Lee is stressed, though, as he tries to handle everything. Then he discovers that Joe – in his will – has left Lee sole custody of Patrick, something Lee decidedly does not want.

He grapples with what to do. And he outright refuses when Patrick suggests that the teen’s estranged mother come into the picture. That’s something Joe would never want, Lee says, even though it would relieve him of his parental duties.

Because he simply cannot stay in Manchester. We know that. And we soon learn why as his tragic past comes back to haunt him.

The strength of the film is its characters. We get to know them intimately. Patrick is pretty much your average teenager, as he plays in a band, juggles girlfriends and hangs out with friends. It’s a world he defiantly refuses to give up when Lee suggests he move to Boston with him.

And we get to know Lee’s pain, his weariness. We feel it. Especially when he’s reunited with his ex-wife, Randi (Michelle Williams, sure to attract supporting actress Oscar attention).

The film is certainly emotional, and at its core is an exploration of grief and guilt, and how people cope with it. Or in some cases, simply can’t.

Writer-director Kenneth Lonergan deftly handles the flashbacks, revealing at just the right times the motivation for what’s happening in the present. He lets his characters breathe. They’re beautifully realized beings with flaws and deeply rooted feelings.

Lonergan likes to explore relationships that are so familiar they can be utterly combustible at one moment, quietly comfortable the next. That’s what keeps us engrossed. He puts us right in the sometimes ugly middle of it all. He explored similar territory with his breakout debut “You Can Count on Me,” which starred Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo as siblings who know all too well how to hurt each other.

“Manchester by the Sea” is a sometimes emotional experience, but it’s not a complete downer. It’s peppered with some very funny moments, thanks to Lonergan’s crackling script.

And while Affleck is astounding, the film around him falls just short of matching his greatness. Its potent second act is never matched in its third. And the film never really climaxes but ends. That may be the point – that life just simply goes on.

Regardless, “Manchester by the Sea” is a deeply felt, thoroughly captivating character study. One that lingers long after it’s over.

This story was originally published December 14, 2016 at 10:28 PM with the headline "Review: Casey Affleck shines in ‘Manchester by the Sea’ (+ trailer)."