The following article originally appeared in Juniata High School's newspaper The Arrowhead.  

Manchester by the Sea, produced by Amazon Studios, was released to theaters in December of 2016. Its running time is two hours and seventeen minutes, and it’s rated “R” due to language and some sexual content.  This award-winning movie stars Casey Affleck, Kyle Chandler, and Michelle Williams and introduces the phenomenal Lucas Hedges.

Manchester by the Sea has some of the most outstanding acting I have ever seen in a movie from the entire cast. While watching Manchester by the Sea, I found myself forgetting I was watching a movie and not sitting in a small New England town eavesdropping on their lives. It was not based on a true story, but the acting makes this drama feel all too real.  It earned 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 4/4 from Roger Ebert.com. I agree with the critic Sandy Schaefer who wrote, “Manchester by the Sea is an affecting examination of the grieving process, brought to life through strong direction and compelling performances.”

When Joe Chandler (Kyle Chandler) passes away, his last will leaves his son, sixteen year- old Patrick Chandler (Lucas Hedges), to his spacey, short-tempered and almost anti-social uncle, Lee (Casey Affleck). Joe put in his will that he wanted his brother to move back to Manchester from Boston. Going back and forth from present to past makes the movie somewhat confusing in the beginning, as the only difference is Uncle Lee being much happier in the past when he is surrounded by his wife Randi (Michelle Williams), his two daughters, and his baby son. When you are watching the movie for the first time, you almost dislike Lee because he is so stubborn and rude; however, finding out about his tragic past changes everything. You are suddenly able to feel his pain as his past rips at your heart.  At first Patrick  doesn’t understand why his uncle can’t leave Boston, but Patrick soon discovers it’s not what his Uncle Lee has against leaving Boston but what is in the town of Manchester that makes life too difficult.

Manchester by the Sea can be for brief moments laugh-out-loud humorous, even in life’s darkest moments. It does a wonderful job showing that some emotional wounds don’t heal and that people heal differently. It lets you see so many human emotions at different stages of life. If you can handle being completely drawn into a dramatic movie, I definitely recommend Manchester by the Sea to you.  

The movie industry has also applauded this “perfect film.” Manchester by the Sea is nominated for six Academy Award nominations: best picture, best actor (Casey Affleck), best supporting actress (Michelle Williams), best supporting actor (Lucas Hedges), best director, and best original screenplay (Kenneth Lonargan). The 89th Academy Awards will be presented on February 26, 2017.