Manchester by the Sea : Truly perplexed about the reception of this film

Just to clarify, Action films are my least favorite genre so please refrain from throwing the "Transformers" card on the table, i actually watched all of Bla Tarr's filmography and admired every frame of it.

While i didn't find the film tedious or dreary, my main objection is the writing and acting. The acting in my eyes ranged from bad to indifferent; let's exclude Michelle Williams. The dialogues were truly horrendous, mostly comprised of "f this, f that, thank you."

I can clearly see the best screenplay award, but i thought the best performance one was the epitome of injustice.

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The acting in my eyes ranged from bad to indifferent; let's exclude Michelle Williams. The dialogues were truly horrendous, mostly comprised of "f this, f that, thank you."

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For me, it didn't feel like I was watching "acting" at all. And that is part of what I really liked about it. I know people just like Lee. They don't process emotions well. They hold it all in. They use the F word a lot. The seem either angry all the time.or indifferent. That was kinda the whole point. Casey Affleck seemed SO much like a regular Joe in this movie. He didn't over act.he didn't get overly emotional. It's the power of subtlety.

Remember, most people cannot relate to the kind of unbearable, unbelievable pain he had been going throughnot to mention the guilt. He was on auto-pilot. If that meant he came across as indifferent, or belligerent.then he did his job, perfectly. And he really, really did.

And the dialogue? Again.it didn't seem scripted. It wasn't the usual polished, clever dialogue.ironed-out over many takes until all the stumbles have been removed. It was the kind of everyday talk that just seemed so realit really resonated. Like when he went to the hospital and was just standing there with the doctor, nurse and his brother's buddy..it was like he was in a state of shock, and his emotions were completely disconnected. He wasn't sure what to do next. I have seen people react this way to death. It was a far cry from a typical Hollywood scene of carefully scripted dialogue. It just really seemed like a real and honest moment. Sad, awkward and raw.

Since the entire movie consisted of this kind of real, raw, honest dialogue.can I ask for a couple specific examples you found bad?

I get that they went for the nuanced approach but it just felt contrived to me, the burial of the feelings deep inside and the alcohol induced physical explosions at the bars accompanied by melodramatic music felt pretended.

When i mentioned "indifferent" i meant it literally, especially for the kid, Patrick, the way the script of his role and/or his acting attempts to convey the loss of his father on screen it felt like it was the least of his concerns and so emotionally detached that displayed borderline sociopathic behavior which was a great antithesis of the overall mood and tone that supposedly the film pursues.

Good points, and I respect your takes on this.
I get what you're saying about things like the alcohol-induced fights, etc. That (can be) a bit cliche. However, this story shouldn't have to avoid those elements.simply because they're cliched. It's a fair point you make. But in the context of this story and that character, I can forgive the cliche. It would be like making a movie about an alcoholic.but having to avoid showing the protagonist hiding bottles of booze and sneaking drinks.simply because that's such a cliche that you're not allowed to use it anymore.

Patty's indifferenceI chalk-up to shock. It definitely happens. I'd have been appalled if he didn't at some point break down. But he did, and it was one of the most beautiful and touching, poignant scenes in the film. When Patty was just doing something random (getting something out of the fridge), and all that pain and sadness just finally came bubbling to the surface. And Lee's reaction to it was so perfect. He didn't have any answers for Patty. He just said: "I'm not gonna bother you. I'm just going to sit here until you calm down." And he sat there next to him all night, not saying a word.

Up until then, I can forgive Patty's behavioras being in shock. I've seen it. We got glimpses along the wayof him having trouble processing it all. But you just knew a breakdown was coming. I credit that kid for being so good and authentic in those scenes.

Edit: Also.it's an interesting quandary some films have, in terms of dealing with cliches. The challenge beingthe kind of person who would like and appreciate a film like this.the kind of person this film would resonate with.has probably seen similar storylines and elements in past films. So they seem cliched at this point. It's almost like we need to train our minds to see a movie like this in a vacuum, and judge it on its own meritsforgive cliches, forget that we've seen them elsewhere, if that makes sense. It's like.if I see a new take on the "Boy & His Dog" film, I need to forget that I've seen Old Yeller. Compartmentalize it, rather than say: HeyI've already seen this kind of thing before.

Thanks for the exchange of thoughts, the highly subjective nature of film-watching it's what makes it fascinating.

You are right about Patrick, that scene you are referring to, the frozen food/corpse analogy and how Lee reacts to it was a redeeming quality for both characters and one of the highlights of the movie.