Movie《Manchester by the Sea》Plot Analysis

《Manchester by the Sea》has been released and has been well received on major websites.Some people say this is a depressing film, so today the editor will give you an in-depth analysis of this film that reflects the tragedy of life.

In a sense, Manchester by the Sea is a heartwarming anti-movie.The scenery of this film, like its subject, is full of gray cruelty and white sadness.The dialogue in the film is plain and deep, and every sentence is like a voice squeezed out from the bottom of the heart, making people feel the bitterness of life.There is no conventional redemption and relief in the story, but this deep regret has become the most fascinating part of the film, because this is real life, there are no perfect answers, only endless questions.

As many people expected, the major Oscar awards in 2017 presented a three-legged pattern.The best picture honor fell to "Moonlight", the best actor was won by "Manchester by the Sea" starring Casey Affleck, and the best actress was won by "La La Land"Actress Emma Stone won.Among them, Casey Affleck has won almost all major awards for his outstanding performance. This is in sharp contrast to his brother Ben Affleck, who did not shine in any of his works last year.

Compared with the other two award-winning works, Manchester by the Sea may seem more restrained and profound.With its authentic, delicate performances and deeply rooted emotions, this film is like a breath of fresh air in this era of often politicized film selection. With its unique unsatisfactory ending, this film reveals the complexity of human nature and life.regret.One commentator summed up the theme of the film succinctly: We all have the right not to reconcile with our past.“

《Manchester by the Sea》adopts a dual timeline story telling method. One is the real-life family story of the protagonist Lee (played by Casey Affleck) and his nephew (played by Lucas Hedges)., and the other one is about the past that Li entered into his memories because of being moved by the scene.On the surface, the film depicts the deep affection between Lee and his nephew, but in fact it reveals Lee's painful past in the small town of Manchester through flashbacks - his negligence led to the death of three children in a fire, which also led to the death of his wife.(played by Michelle Williams) divorced him with a tragic ending.

It is worth mentioning that Casey Affleck also plays the role of uncle in real life. He and his brother Ben are already married and each has their own children.In order to better invest in the emotions of the character, Cassie spent a lot of time on set to brew her emotions.However, what I want to mention more is the heroine in the film, Michelle Williams, who plays the ex-wife.She also received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film.During the filming, Michelle was unable to stay on the set due to schedule reasons. She would only return to the set when there was a scene, but she could get into the role immediately every time.I think this may have something to do with her personal experience.Some media once commented on Michelle: ” She was once the depressed wife in Brokeback Mountain, and the saddest woman in Hollywood. She has always been the focus of the paparazzi, and she is also a longing for true love.single mother.“

In June 2004, Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger met while filming Ang Lee's movie Brokeback Mountain. Although the two played a couple who were stumbling over their husband's sexual orientation in the film, in realityMichelle and Heath Ledger soon fell in love.According to Jake Gyllenhaal, another male star of Brokeback Mountain, Michelle and Ledger often flirted with each other during rehearsals on the set, and they couldn't hide their deep affection.

(《Brokeback Mountain》A group photo of the four leading actors, from left, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams in front)

In 2005, when Michelle became pregnant, Ledger moved with her to Brooklyn.Michelle once said: ”Our life there is very, very sweet, and what I hope most is to maintain this sweetness.%At the end of 2005, Michelle gave birth to their daughter Matilda.In March of the following year, Michelle and Ledger received Oscar nominations for "Brokeback Mountain". The two dressed up and walked on the red carpet together, holding hands and looking happy.

However, in 2007, just four months before Heath Ledger passed away, Michelle broke up with him.According to insiders, the reason for the breakup was that Ledger's dependence on drugs became more and more serious, which reached the point where Michelle couldn't bear it.But she didn't expect that Ledger would pass away soon after.Heath Ledger's untimely death was a huge loss for movie fans, and even more devastating for Michelle.A friend said: “It was an extremely dark period in her life.She was a romantic and emotional person, and she always felt that she was partly responsible for failing to help Ledger, which caused a heavy psychological burden on her.” Some of Ledger's friends during his lifetime also believed that Michelle was an important reason for Ledger's death.Some people say: “In the last period of Heath Ledger's life, he was close to an emotional breakdown because Michelle took away his daughter Matilda after breaking up with him, which really made him feel heartbroken.”

Self-blame and nostalgia prevented Michelle from getting out of the shadow of Heath Ledger.She said it felt like she had left the wound open to the air and allowed it to fester.But as a single mother, Michelle did not let Heath Ledger's image be absent from her daughter's growth.In her home in Brooklyn, there are still photos of Heath Ledger, and the stuffed toys Ledger gave to her daughter are still intact. Even Michelle’s iconic short pixie hair was made for Ledger.Remain.She said: “I cut this hair for the man who liked short hair, and I keep it now just to express my memory of that man.”

In the film - Manchester by the Sea - we can also notice the three photo frames that Lee carefully wraps every time he moves.The director never gave these three photos a frontal shot from beginning to end, but every viewer can guess the real content of the photos from the hesitant shots: Li's three dead children.

At the end of the film, nephew Patrick sees the three photo frames in his uncle's room, realizes why his uncle cannot continue to live in the small town, and decides to respect his uncle's choice.This plot reflects that the pain of losing a loved one often appears gradually in daily life after the loved one leaves. Whenever they see familiar scenery or feel a familiar breath, it will remind people of the days when their loved ones were with them, and they will feel like a knife in their heart.twist.

After Li lost his child, and after his nephew learned of his father's death, he did not burst into tears or shed tears silently. However, the director used a large number of line drawings to lay out the emotions, allowing the audience to feel the real pain in the characters' hearts.This kind of pain with nowhere to vent is more depressing and tormenting than crying.The nephew didn't cry after his father's death. It wasn't until he saw his father's frozen body in the morgue and the frozen chicken in the refrigerator that he suddenly broke down and cried, releasing his suppressed emotions.

At the same time, Li, who lost his child, has long since turned into a walking zombie and has even lost the right to cry. When he doesn't get his way, he can only resort to violence to self-mutilate or cause fights in bars.These plots reflect the true state of the frustrated in life. They did not get up again after falling, and regret accounted for about half of their lives.

The Michelle in the film is more like the husband played by Casey Affleck, which reflects the similarities between the experiences of Michelle Williams in real life and the character in the film.After losing her child, Michelle also tried to save herself through love. She had relationships with many directors and actors, but they all ended in failure.There are many breakups caused by the other party's inability to accept her daughter Matilda.However, Michelle seems to have gradually adapted to the life of a single mother, raising her daughter alone.Interestingly, some media took photos of Matilda and discovered that she already looks somewhat similar to Heath Ledger.

Some media commented on the movie "Manchester by the Sea", saying that the movie does not talk about ideals or commercialism, but is a serious art that discusses regrets in life.Starting from the details of life, the film tells the story of personal tragedies and the true state of most frustrated people.The sky in this movie is gray, the ground is covered with white snow, the dialogue between people is plain and concise, and the soothing soundtrack reveals a hint of sadness.There is no redemption or relief in the story, but this regret is precisely the best part of the film, because this is real life.

The above is all the content about Manchester by the Sea that the editor has compiled for you this time. I hope you like it.Welcome to follow the line class for more content.