It is Manchester Massachusetts, not Manchester UK, where writer/director Kenneth Lonergan has set a family drama that is sometimes touching, sometimes turgid, but always intensely ‘real’. Lee (Casey Affleck), living alone in a basement bedsit and working as a janitor in Boston, is haunted by a tragedy for which he is responsible. Lonergan holds the cards close to his chest, teasing with flashbacks before revealing what the tragedy is. It is well into the movie at this point, by which time Lee has relocated to Manchester after being saddled with the responsibility of having become the guardian of his late brother’s 16-year-old son, Patrick (Lucas Hedges). There are those of us who respond to life’s ‘slings and arrows’ by internalising their pain – Lee is one such person. His tormented soul expresses itself openly in drunken brawls at the local pub, but otherwise he is unable to let go of the hurt that is buried deep within. Affleck is superb, but if his character succeeds in not letting others share his load, he makes it equally hard for the audience to connect. The combative relationship that he has with Patrick, who is loud and self-centred, does not encourage a tender response either, and it is only Michelle Williams, as Lee’s shattered wife, who engenders any warmth – and the atmosphere is not made any warmer by the bleak New England weather. Ultimately, Lonergan’s film succeeds because of his insistence on staying with the everyday occurrences that all of us are familiar with – after leaving a funeral director’s offices, Lee’s anger and frustration is compounded by the simple annoyance of not being able to remember where he parked the car. Music is sparingly used, but immensely effective when called on – Remo Giazotto’s famous Adagio is a perfect accompaniment to the funeral of Lee’s brother. Some light relief comes with Patrick trying to screw his girlfriend while her mother is downstairs, but it’s all about dealing with heartbreak, and every one of us has been there.
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