How do you live out the rest of your life after your negligence causes the unthinkable to happen?

Even though I saw Manchester by the Sea a couple of weeks ago, certain scenes still keep running through my mind. The movie is about forgiveness and the extension of grace, but is also about what happens when there is no forgiveness and no extension of grace.

I want to avoid giving away the plot, so I’ll just say the story centers around a man who unexpectedly and unwillingly becomes the guardian of his teenage nephew. Given just that plot point, you might imagine a heartwarming story about a curmudgeonly uncle whose heart melts as his falls for his flawed, but cute, nephew. That would be a Disney movie, but not so much a Kenneth Lonergan film. The story is gritty, grim and difficult to watch, but beautifully redemptive in its own painful way. Across the board, the acting is solid and is especially wonderful when Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams are on the screen. Lonergan’s meticulous direction is evidenced in every scene.

As a native New Englander, I can say that Ruth De Jong (production design) did an excellent job. The kitchens, living rooms, basements, school—all perfectly rendered.

And the accents? Spot on. In fact, the speech is so authentic and so peppered with funny idioms, I wondered if non-New England viewers might need subtitles to follow the dialogue.

Viewing the film helped me think differently about a few situations in my life. I highly recommend it.