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One of Casey Affleck's best moments in his career came with Manchester by the Sea, a role that has gone down in cinematic history as one of the most profound portrayals of a man grieving loss and navigating his life around it. The impact of the film was evident in its reception. Among the numerous accolades it received, it snagged six Oscar nominations, winning two for Best Original Screenplay, credited to Kenneth Lonergan, and Best Actor for Affleck.
The win came among some great nominations that year. Ryan Gosling was nominated for La La Land, Andrew Garfield was nominated for Hacksaw Ridge, Viggo Mortensen was nominated for Captain Fantastic, and Denzel Washington was nominated for Fences.
In his acceptance speech, Affleck made sure to thank the nominees in the category, particularly Denzel Washington, who, as the actor stated, taught him how to act. He said,
"One of the first people who taught me how to act was Denzel Washington, and I just met him tonight for the first time. Thank you. And to all the other nominees, you did great work. I'm proud to be in your company. You guys are very brave and I admire what you do. I'm only here, really, because of all the talents and goodwill of so many people; they're impossible to name. "
He then went on to thank some of the names attached to the project: Matt Damon, Kenneth Lonergan, Mara Buxbaum, and last of all, his brother Ben Affleck.
Manchester by the Sea has since become a favorite when it comes to drama films. At the center of it is Casey Affleck, who played Lee Chandler with such poignant depth and dedication that he remains, to date, one of the best portrayals of male characters on screen.
More details about Manchester by the Sea
Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea isn’t a story so much as a wound you sit with. Starring Affleck, Michelle Williams, Lucas Hedges, and Kyle Chandler in the lead, what really steals the screen is grief itself, stubborn, unfixable, and everywhere.
The film follows Lee Chandler (Affleck), a janitor in Quincy who drifts through life in silence until his brother dies, pulling him back to the town he swore off. There, he’s blindsided with guardianship of his teenage nephew, Patrick (Hedges). Lee loves him, but love doesn’t erase the past. Years earlier, Lee’s mistake caused a fire that killed his children and shattered his marriage to Randi (Williams). Manchester remembers. Lee remembers. The weight of it crushes every step he takes.
Shot along the raw coastlines of Massachusetts, the sea hangs over every frame, beautiful, merciless, and constant. Lee and Patrick stumble through their grief together, clashing, joking, and sometimes understanding each other in ways no one else can. But there’s no neat healing, no grand catharsis. Lonergan refuses to lie. Some people don’t “get over it.” They just carry it and keep moving.
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When it premiered at Sundance, Manchester by the Sea was quickly hailed as one of the decade’s defining dramas. Critics called it devastating, unsparing, and unexpectedly funny. It went on to earn $79 million on a modest budget, winning several awards for Affleck’s performance and Lonergan’s screenplay. More than accolades, though, it gave cinema one of its rawest studies of grief and the quiet, impossible act of carrying on.
Manchester by the Sea is available to stream on Prime Video.
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