Movie Review Manchester by the Sea 2016 Sundance Film

A wrenching family tragedy is dramatized with the depth of a high-quality American stage piece in Manchester by the Sea. Kenneth Lonergan’s third feature film since his debut 16 years ago with his Sundance entry You Can Count On Me is deeply rooted in its New England setting and characters, led by the traumatized, working-class Joe played by Casey Affleck in what is by far his most impressive and deeply felt screen performance to date.

The overextended second half shouldn’t be too difficult to trim down to bring the film closer to a two-hour running time, which would make this a good bet for a class distributor looking for a full-bodied autumn release.

Read the full review on Hollywood Reporter - ( Text & Image courtesy )

Production: Pearl Street Films,
The Media Farm, K Period Media, The A / Middleton Project, B Story
Cast: Casey Affleck, Michele Williams, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges, CJ Wilson, Heather Burns, Tate Donovan, Josh Hamilton, Anna Baryshnikov, Matthew Broderick, Gretchen Mol
Director-screenwriter: Kenneth Lonergan
Producers: Chris Moore, Lauren Beck, Kevin J. Walsh, Matt Damon, Kimberly Steward
Executive producers: Josh Godfrey, John Krasinski, Declan Baldwin, Bill Migliore
Director of photography: Jody Lee Lipes
Production designer: Ruth De Jong
Costume designer: Melissa Toth
Editor: Jennifer Lame
Music: Lesley Barber
Casting: Douglas Abiel
Not rated, 137 minutes