Manchester by the Sea

“The uncomfortable industry adulation that surrounded Casey Affleck—despite his confirmed abuse against women in reality—outweighs my ability to recommend this film.”

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Title: Manchester by the Sea (2016)
Director: Kenneth Lonergan 👨🏼🇺🇸
Writer: Kenneth Lonergan 👨🏼🇺🇸

Reviewed by Angie 👩🏻🇺🇸🌈

Technical: 3/5

I tried to like Manchester by the Sea. However, the only person I felt anything for was a supporting character. The movie as a whole was disjointed, and misplaced accents were distracting. Furthermore, I couldn’t evade the uncomfortable optics of lead actor Casey Affleck being fawned over by reviewers and winning Best Actor awards despite having settled two sexual harassment suits not so long ago. Just as art should take into account its creators, offscreen behavior by lead actors can’t help but cross into a viewer’s experience of a movie. The two are simply inextricable.

Gender: 2/5
Does it pass the Bechdel Test? NOPE

Not including extras, there were only four female roles in this film, and their scenes are mostly about men. Manchester by the Sea doesn’t even pass the very low bar of the Bechdel Test. And as mentioned, Affleck has confirmed his own past predatory behavior towards women—not great. However, within this male centrism, Michelle Williams makes the most of her role and delivers a fantastic, emotionally charged performance.

Race: 2.5/5

Only two people of color have speaking roles in the entire film. That being said, at least this predominantly white cast is accurate to the real Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. According to the U.S. Census, 98% of the population was white in 2010.

Mediaversity Grade: D 2.50/5

While there are some good moments in the movie, with small bits of humor, most of it is one-dimensional. Factoring in the uncomfortable industry adulation that surrounded Affleck’s performance and willfully ignored his confirmed abuse against women, I just can’t recommend this film.