It was a beautiful, well acted, well-composed movie set in an equally well composed and beautiful part of Massachusetts. The movie captures the days following the death of Joe Chandler, played by Kyle Chandler, due to congenital heart failure, now his brother, Lee Chandler played by Casey Affleck, must return to his hometown to confront the demons of his past that chased him away. Lee must now care for his teenage nephew, Patrick Chandler played by Lucas Hedges, while trying to come to terms with the guilt that has followed him back to Manchester. Throughout the movie, you are time and time again confronted by the echoes of distant tragedies that haunt the Chandler family, and you see how they deal with a fresh one.

    The striking thing about the movie isn’t the concept or even the beautiful scenes, the acting is unique. Scenes are filled with awkward silence, confusion, anger, sadness, imperfect moments, and each create something real as characters and emotions flare up. Jumps into flashbacks lead to insights into the past and the characters, nothing within the movie is too much or too little. Casey Affleck creates a perfect tortured Lee, trying desperately and hopelessly to fix himself. Lee Howard makes a perfect teen trying to cope with the loss of his father and the potential of losing what’s left for him in Manchester. The actors, even the minor ones, offered insight into the character’s thoughts and feelings. For me, seeing the movie, it’s no surprise Casey Affleck received an oscar and numerous commendations for the film.

    This movie makes people feel, the mood in the theater oscillated between laughs, smiles, awkward looks, and misty eyes. It was beautiful, it was great, and then it ended. The movie felt incomplete, but that just made it feel more real. I recommend watching it, despite its limited release, even if you have to watch it at home. The movie is easily worth a 10/10 rating.