His constant surliness brings a scolding from his boss, and an exchange of punches in a local bar. Manchester by the Sea, Kenneth Lonergan’s masterful third film, approaches tragic loss and its emotional aftermath indirectly, by way of flashbacks and memory fragments. Lee is summoned to make the two-hour drive to his Massachusetts seaside hometown of Manchester by the Sea, to deal with an urgent family matter. “I’m just a back-up,” Lee insists to the estate lawyer, but he’s all Patrick has. Yet it would be a mistake to view Manchester by the Sea as dreary or depressing.

Source: thestar November 24, 2016 18:31 UTC