Serious Film Review #22: Quiet Men and Unconquerable Sadness – 10/10

I believe that different audiences always have different preferences for movies. You may prefer movies in one genre and dislike movies in another genre. But what is certain is that there is always a movie with a theme that seems to move you in particular, and can express your personal experience in a very real way. Therefore, you may regard "In the Mood for Love" as a treasure, and the love that cannot be obtained because of prohibition is the most attractive to you; perhaps you prefer "Never Stop" because you think the conflict between family members is so common and real; it is also possible that You'd much rather watch Mulholland Drive because you find the mental connection with the creators so pure and exciting.

For me, a subject that always touches me easily is the story between men and men, or how men endure suffering. This should have something to do with me being a man, because for me, who is usually not a woman, it seems that I can better understand the communication between men and men, and how men deal with grief. That's not to say I can't understand feelings from women. On the contrary, I believe that maternal love, the greatest human nature, can touch almost all people.

I'm just more moved by the silence of men.

That's why "Manchester by the Sea", as a film about a story between silent men, moved me so much. Not because of how perfect it is, because objectively or technically, it's not as good as this year's Moonlight and La La Land. But it can make the audience feel pity for the characters in the quietest and most down-to-earth way, making the audience shed tears unintentionally, and even weep.

Yes, for me, "Manchester by the Sea" is the movie that moved me the most in 2016, bar none. It's not the movie we need most in 2016, because what this ridiculously negative 2016 needs most is the uplifting, positive La La Land; it's certainly not the most poetic movie of 2016, because it's beautiful Painting like "Moonlight". But it is the movie that makes me saddenest, cry the most, and even want to hug the person I love the most after watching it.
Sit quietly and watch this movie, preferably with someone you love.


As a man, even watching this movie for the second time, I can't help crying at the same time. It made me shudder so much, even after the movie ended. This tale of a man who was alive but died on the inside accurately captures the way men in New England deal with grief, and the foul language and sarcastic humor make the film more real and moving, while keeping the audience in the dark. There was respite from the waves of grief that struck.

For the slightly more senior moviegoers, just take a look at the film's production team to know that it's definitely not low quality. And one of the most important production members is director and screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan. This little-eyed man who was a stage playwright may have a dark history about him in the hearts of many fans - the post-production of his previous work "Margaret" was so chaotic, and many lawsuits were involved. , and even used a version he disagreed with when it was released, which was a big disappointment. So if someone thinks before watching this film that even if Matt Damon is involved in the production, this work will definitely not be much better, I think it is understandable. But I have to remind you that the Lonergan-approved version of Margarita, which was later included on DVD, was so perfect that it was voted 100 of the 21st century by international critics this year. One of the best.


Another important figure in this production team is Casey Affleck, who has performed perfectly at the level of the best actor. When everyone only knew his brother Ben Affleck (yes, the Batman from Superman v Batman...), Casey was already nominated for an Oscar for The Assassination. And this time, his performance will not only win him an Oscar nomination again (hope to win), but also make him completely out of the shadow of his brother. And he played this Lee Chandler, the cleaning worker living in Boston, who had a tragic past in the movie so that when he came home to deal with the aftermath of his brother's death, the people around him were always there. Whispering and discussing "that Lee Chandler?" and "that's the one." Lee Chandler wishes to stay away from his hometown, to be isolated from others, and to die alone. But it's this Lee Chandler, with a tragic past, who needs to take care of his brother's son -- and that's how the story unfolds.

At the end of the day, Manchester by the Sea isn't a great movie if you're talking about it technically. It is so imperfect, its soundtrack is so unoriginal, its editing is so unshakable, but it can still be so perfect in revealing the protagonist's painful past for the audience. How precise but natural and rhythmic the cuts of past and present are, how old and appropriate is the soundtrack, and how devastatingly moving is Casey Affleck's performance. I wasn't the only one in the movie theater who shed tears when we finally broke free of the reminiscence and returned to the devastated protagonist, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one who started to understand why he wanted to shut himself down.


Imperfect, it seems, is the plot of what could be said to be an old Hollywood story - a broken-hearted protagonist who opens his heart and finally returns to his normal life due to an unexpected return to his family's embrace. However, no matter from the director or the actors, their focus is not on how the protagonist can return to normal life. Instead, their focus is to tell the audience that there is indeed a sadness in this world that is so irreversible and so resistant to contact with people. But at the same time, it is this kind of sadness that makes people know how to cherish the preciousness of the things around them, and makes people more aware of the beauty of life.

The description of New England in "Manchester by the Sea" can also be said to be extremely accurate. Few of the actors' Boston accents sounded deliberate, because they really felt like they had lived in this icy place for years. That, of course, includes newcomer Lucas Hedges, who plays Lee's nephew to take care of, and their abysmal band. But even with the sadness that runs through the story, the film is full of hilarious humour. Maybe one moment you're still crying, and the next you're amused by those clever, hilarious dialogues.


I can't accurately express the impact and feelings this movie brought to me, and I also believe that this movie needs the audience to feel the impact it can bring to you. It needs the audience to feel the stillness among the men, to feel the sadness. To feel how we come out of sadness and how we don't come out of sadness.

I also watched another movie about grief the other day - "Rediscovered". In this real-life documentary, singer Nick Cave has this to say about the impact of the loss of his son: "Time is flexible. We can walk away from a sad event. But there's always a moment when Flexible time will pull you back to where you started. We will always go back to this sad event."

And "Manchester by the Sea" seems to be saying exactly this. We pity Lee Chandler's grief, but we understand that he can't come out of it. He did not complete the traditional Hollywood redemption, but we are still deeply moved by him.

Sit quietly and watch this masterpiece, preferably with someone you love.

View more about Manchester by the Sea reviews