Assignment 17- Tom Polites

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/id/976060371/

Calling this movie sad does not do it justice. After seeing this film new years day with my family, I walked out of the theatre considerably more depressed and hopeless than I was when I entered. If you're looking for a feel good movie that lifts you up, look elsewhere. You may be wondering, why have I given Manchester by the Sea four and a half stars if it saddened me so greatly? First of all, the acting was fantastic. Casey Affleck should win Best Actor for his emotional performance, and the other cast members were wonderful as well. The directing was another highlight, and made it an enjoyable movie to watch despite its tragic storyline. I've heard many people complain about the ending and how it doesn't end in the typical all's well ends well fashion. As much as I would have loved to have left the theatre with some sort of consolation for the 2 hours and seventeen minutes of tragedy I went through, a happier ending would have been inconsistent with the rest of the film. In my eyes, the main message of the film is that there are some things we can't move past, but we carry on doing the best we can. An ending where Affleck's character moves past the terrible incident that happened to him would not have been fitting for this type of movie.