"Manchester at the Sea" A Malaise of Sorrow Starring Casey Affleck & Michelle Williams

"Manchester at the Sea" is a movie sure to garner a trove of accolades from the critics & academy.    The turgid pace for this requiem of grief is painfully slow; rippling pain in its wake.  Two Chandler brothers, Lee (an affecting Casey Affleck) and Kyle (the unfailing Kyle Chandler) were raised in a small New England fishing town, Manchester.  Both brothers tow an odyssey of sorrow.  Kyle raised his son Patrick (a likeable Lucas Hedges) as a single parent after his wife became an alcoholic. Alcohol abuse is suffused throughout the film.  Kyle succumbs to a fatal disease leaving a will that provides for Lee to become Patrick's guardian.   Meanwhile, Lee is living in Boston as a janitor in a small basement apartment and getting into bar brawls by night.  The storyline is not linear.  There are touching flashbacks to happier times on Kyle's small fishing boat with Lee & a young Patrick.  We also see scenes of Lee's domestic life; married to Randi (an exceptional Michelle Williams) with 3 young children.  There's a missing story as to what ended Lee's family domicle which we've yet to uncover.  Lee is drawn back to Manchester to bury his beloved brother and temporarily oversee his nephew. Kyle had made a will stipulating Lee as guardian to Patrick & trustee for the estate.  Except, Lee was unaware of his brother's intention & has no intention of taking on the responsibility of his nephew or relocating.  Lee's ominous reputation is known to many in Manchester prior to our learning of his devastating tragedy.  Lee's unbearable & "unbeatable" grief render him soulless.  He seeks solace through acts of violence.  The frigid landscape mirrors Lee's frozen existence.  Signs of life ebb & flow around Lee as lives with Patrick & among people from his past.  Lee becomes able to cull the grace to seek help for Patrick & himself.  "Manchester at the Sea" is awash in quality acting and beautifully shot.  Nonetheless, the film is moored in anguish that many would choose to cast off.