A teenager is shown trying to put the moves on some girls. Teens are also shown in various states of undress, though there's no actual nudity. Frank talk about sex and using condoms.
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Adults are showing plowing through beers, sometimes to excess. A major plot point revolves around what a character does when drunk. Another character is an alcoholic.
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One character can be a hothead, getting in to bar fights and punching his fist into a window. A fire consumes an entire house and the people in it; they're shown afterward in body bags. Lots of arguing.
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Brands/labels seen or mentioned include Jeep, Toyota, iPhone, Nalgene, Volvo, Champion athletic wear.
Positive Messages
some
Grief can change you -- it can even disable you, but somehow you'll find a way out of the fog. Also, you may not think you're up for a monumental task, but you might surprise yourself if love is your motivation.
Positive Role Models
a little
Lee is detached and angry, but he cares enormously for his nephew and wants badly to do right by him, even if he might not have the tools to be a surrogate father. Patrick is a teenager who's trying to find his way out of tragic circumstances; he manages to have empathy and even a sense of humor, even if he sometimes acts out and gets combative.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Manchester by the Sea is a searing, deeply affecting drama about a man (Casey Affleck) who loses his brother and must then raise his teenage nephew. It's full of intense material, including death, grief, marital strife, anger, and disenchantment, all of which make it too intense for younger viewers. Expect disturbing scenes of a man struggling to manage his anger, as well as constant swearing (including "f--k" and "c--t"). There's also frank discussion about sex (including safe sex) among teens, and some partial nudity. Adults drink, sometimes to excess, and a character is an alcoholic. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
This film feels equal parts melancholic, violent, heartbreaking, restrained, agonizing and humorous. How do you come back from a horrible mistake? You don't. But maybe you'll be able to have a perfect scene of restraint and pain with Michelle Williams. I did not care for the score. It was a bold and non-subtle choice, but a choice I disagreed with.
Kenneth Lonergan’s 2016 film Manchester by the Sea offers a poignant study on the multifaceted effects of mourning and death. At the time of its release, this film was critically acclaimed as one of the best films of the decade. This film follows a more traditional form of realism throughout, as Lonergan instills upon the audience a sense of organic rawness in emotion and timing, interestingly choosing to pull back in key moments of the plot that would normally evoke the greatest swell of emotion within the characters and soundscore.
Realistic to real life grieving, the breakdown moments and crises of characters occur in the awkward, unexpected, and improperly timed occasions of daily life. What stems forth in this technique is an interesting dichotomy - the coexistence of two opposite states. These states are altogether emotional numbness, and an overwhelming abundance of emotion. Main character Lee survives between these two states throughout the course of the film, most often numb to the people and previous life he has lost, while still being given small glimpses into the moments emotions do take over for him.
Much discussion has developed over this movie since its release, some arguing that it is simply too bleak for them to muster any true inspiration or meaning out of. Others revere its adherence to realism, and the ways in which it authentically portrays not merely human grief, but also human love, and the healing that comes through the passage of time. I would argue for the latter as well, in that the austere nature of this movie actually directs one closer to the existential questions of where one is going when this life is over. It poses the questions of what there is to live for, outside of the peak moments of life, outside of the comfort and guises of a futile state of “happiness”. For that reason, I find this movie to be extremely important, as it does not shy away from a reality that suffuses all of our lives at some point. Life, in spite of suffering, still holds an inherent dignity to it. The closing scene of this movie offers this exact message, a glimmer of hope and restoration. For this reason, I believe realism and organic expression is fundamental in the form of film. Otherwise, we see a trend of over idealizing the passing things of this life take shape, and pervade the film industry, and all other forms of media. This film does a fantastic job of counteracting this, and I hope to see more films to this creative caliber in the future.
What's the Story?
Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) has steered clear of his native MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, a waterside town in Massachusetts, for years, driven away by a horrific family tragedy. His only remaining links are his beloved brother, Joe (Kyle Chandler), and his nephew, Patrick (Lucas Hedges). Lee is content -- in a manner of speaking -- to work as a janitor for a housing complex, to drink his frustrations away at a local bar at the end of the day, and to stay in his ground-floor apartment, alone. But when Lee's brother dies, leaving him in charge of his estate and guardian to Patrick, Lee is forced to return home and stay, at least until he figures out what his next move is. Michelle Williams co-stars as Lee's ex-wife.
Kenneth Lonergan's searing drama about grief, family, and acceptance is made even more powerful by its deep well of empathy and its unforgettable performances, particularly Affleck's. Manchester by the Sea treads a path we've seen at the movies before -- the mourning after a loss and how that loss affects everyone left behind -- it but does so with stunning compassion. The film's lack of artifice in mining its tough subject matter sets it apart, as does the way it balances all sorts of emotions, including humor in the darkest of days, to create a real sense of humanity. (Lonergan has always been wonderful at this.)
Even more impressive is how the movie reveals an even deeper layer of grief beneath the one we're first presented with, one that will leave viewers broken-hearted, just like its leads. If there's a flaw in Manchester, it's that in the end, we still only have a slippery sense of who Lee is and what he will become. (Also somewhat unsatisfying is how it handles the character of Patrick's mother.) But if you see the film with any bit of unexpressed sorrow hiding inside you, don't expect to leave the theater unscathed: It could break you.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Manchester by the Sea handles the subject of grief. How do Lee, Patrick, and other characters work through their loss? Can you think of other movies that have tackled similar themes?
Is Lee a hero or an anti-hero? Does the movie make him sympathetic? How?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By S. Jhoanna Robledo
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
