Manchester by the Sea (2016)
- During the filming of Manchester by the Sea, Casey Affleck improvised one of the most famous lines in the movie.
- Many of the practical effects used in the climax were achieved without any CGI.
- Before Casey Affleck was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
Manchester by the Sea is a 2016 American drama written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan. Casey Affleck stars as Lee Chandler, a taciturn, emotionally shut-down janitor in Quincy, Massachusetts who is forced to return to his hometown of Manchester-by-the-Sea when his older brother Joe dies suddenly, naming Lee as guardian of his 16-year-old nephew Patrick, played by Lucas Hedges. As Lee reluctantly navigates the responsibilities of guardianship, the film gradually reveals the devastating personal tragedy โ involving a house fire that killed his three children โ that drove Lee to abandon his hometown and retreat into emotional paralysis.
Casey Affleck won the Academy Award for Best Actor for a performance of extraordinary restraint โ Lee's grief was expressed not through dramatic outbursts but through the weight of his silence, his avoidance of eye contact, and the moments when emotion briefly cracked through his defensive numbness before being forcefully suppressed. Kenneth Lonergan won Best Original Screenplay. The film earned $79 million worldwide on a $8.5 million budget.
