Sometimes we have a work of art that doesn't have as its purpose to make us feel good. The criticism from the nay-sayers of this film talk about how depressing it is; that there is nothing happy about it. What this is is one of the most insightful portrayals of a man consumed with guilt that you will ever see. I know little about Casey Affleck, other than the obvious, but his portrayal of a man who feels the burden of inadvertently killing three of his children, is astonishing. Some say the characters are unlikable, including the son of his deceased brother. Well he is what he is. Yes he's a teenaged womanizer full of testosterone and self, but are we to change it for people that don't like him. That makes the issues that Affleck's character has to reconcile after his brother names him guardian of his son. This is a slice of realism, from his having to deal with his brother's death and all that entails (responsibility for the funeral and the legal issues). He is such damaged goods that someone needs to look after him. This is not a feel-good film. It presents us with a dysfunctional figure who is back in the town where everyone considers him a murderer. Could win the Oscar this year. If not, Affleck probably will.
Review of Manchester by the Sea
