Manchester by the Sea

Genre: psychological drama  

With: Casey Affleck (Lee Chandler), Kyle Chandler (Lee’s brother, Joe), Ben O’Brien and Lucas Hedges (Joe’s son, Patrick, as a child and a teenager respectively), C.J. Wilson (George, a good friend), Michelle Williams (Randi, Lee’s ex-wife), Gretchen Mol (Elise, Joe’s wife)

Director: Kenneth Lonergan

Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan

Release: 2016

Studio: Amazon Studios, K Period Media, Pearl Street Films, The Media Farm, B Story et al.

Rating: 14A

MBiS score: 8.5/10





Of Old Wounds and New Realities





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Story-line: a gloomy and quick-tempered janitor living in Boston must face unpleasant memories and new circumstances when a family tragedy leads him back to his hometown of Manchester.  

Pluses: a dominant, Oscar-winning turn by Casey Affleck (as a slouching, broken-voiced loner who doesn’t always look at people when he speaks to them), exemplary support from Lucas Hedges and Michelle Williams (who makes the most of her limited screen time, especially her incandescent 3-minute duo with Casey at the 1 hour, 54 minute mark), a patient, realistic and very full Oscar-rewarded screenplay dotted with quirky moments, eloquent scenes and ironic twists, appropriate production values, tactful direction and lovely cinematography, fine editing and an interesting, eclectic choice of music.

Minuses: at first, you may be thrown off by the story’s shifts between past and present-day (the opening scene, for instance, happened 8 years before, when Patrick was a youngster) but you won’t need much time to get the hang of it.  

Comments: I wasn’t very confident when I chose to see the much-celebrated MANCHESTER BY THE SEA because homecoming movies can easily sink into formula but, much like YOU CAN COUNT ON ME, Kenneth Lonergan’s other fine reunion film, this stirring work examines serious issues, from contentious families, personal loss and self-inflicted wounds to the oppressive situations and unexpected adjustments that daily life imposes upon us. I wouldn’t call it a feel-good movie but its quiet power and commitment are ultimately inspiring. As John Lennon famously said, “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.”





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Juste avant la nuit

English title: Just Before Nightfall

Genre: psychological drama  

With: Michel Bouquet (Charles Masson), Anna Douking (Laura Tellier), Stéphane Audran (Hélène Masson), François Périer (François Tellier), Jean Carmet (Jeannot, the bartender), Dominique Zardi (Dominique Prince), Henri Attal (Cavanna), Clelia Matania (Charles’s mother)

Director: Claude Chabrol

Screenplay: Claude Chabrol, from a novel by Édouard Atiyah

Release: 1971

Studio: Cinegai S.p.A., Les Films de la Boétie

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.2/10





Masson, My Friend, You Have Some Explaining to Do





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Story-line: while indulging his mistress Laura with some kinky role-playing, Charles Masson accidentally strangles her.

Pluses: Michel Bouquet’s excellent performance (note his amazing emotional range), fine support from Stéphane Audran, François Périer and cast, a well-written, intriguing and efficient screenplay that touches upon serious issues while slipping in a few outrageously funny moments, accomplished direction, sober cinematography, those curiously modern decors, a frosty musical score and a surprising denouement that gives meaning to the movie’s apparently humdrum title. 

Minuses: one reviewer has criticized this film as ‟lurid” but, aside from the opening sequence which does require sleaze, JUSTE AVANT LA NUIT is a straightforward drama. As with other psychological studies, give this one 40 minutes or so to build a compelling, increasingly tense narrative.   

Comments: one might think that JUSTE AVANT LA NUIT will be a letdown after Laura’s death in the opening sequence but it has much more to show for itself. Watching Masson cope with his tragic blunder will keep you busy enough for the duration. Will he feel remorseful? lie his way out of it? confess? return to his happy life as if nothing had happened? If you’ve seen LA FEMME INFIDÈLE, another psychology-driven gem from Claude Chabrol, you will appreciate this cold, low-key movie even more.     





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