This is the sixth in a series of reflective blogs which will focus on the film reviews of ohthatfilmblog.com as well as adding my own thoughts on the films. The sixth being a review of ‘Manchester By The Sea‘. Finally we have gotten to my favourite film of 2016. There’s a lot to talk about in this one for me. How can a film be so funny but also so sad. I should probably say that I never laughed during this film, it’s a special kind of feeling i get, something I’ve never experienced from a film before and I think that’s why I liked it so much. However ohthatfilmblog doesn’t share my same passion for it. “I can’t help but feel that its final execution doesn’t deserve or achieve the soul crushing sadness that its core themes clearly evoke.” To argue this point I would say that this film delves deep into character and acting. This film is pretty much a masterclass in directing and acting but the way it is shot and edited is so quaint that it is insanely good at creating the little world that the main character inhabits. Below is a clip from the film.
ohthatfilmblog also says “As far as internal pain, suppressed feelings and emotional detachment go, Affleck provides a masterclass from the slight tilting of his head to the thousand mile stare in to the distance.” I know this whole blog post is talking about the acting and nothing else but it really is the focal point of the film and it’s what makes the film noteworthy. As I said earlier the film was actually surprisingly funny in parts, especially the scenes between Casey Afflecks character and his nephew played by Lucas Hedges. They both portray characters who are trying there best to get over their grief so that means that comedy would come from those little moments of just a normal scene.
Overall this film is a must watch in my opinion. It still remains my favourite of 2016 and even if you don’t like ‘mumblecore’ movies I would still suggest seeing it with an open mind.
Horne's Thoughts 