Manchester by the Sea at Waterside Arts Centre

Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor

Book now

Manchester by the Sea

Waterside, Manchester
29 March 2018

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Book now

Casey Affleck plays Lee Chandler, a withdrawn and slightly rude Boston-based handyman who is called back to his hometown of Manchester, Massachusetts, in order to look after his sixteen-year-old nephew (Lukas Hedges), when his older brother dies of a heart attack. Lee, it transpires, fled Manchester some years prior – due to reasons that writer/director Kenneth Lonergan gradually teases out through a series of flashbacks – and has no desire to remain longer than he has to.

Lonergan’s script expertly spins a web of overlapping familial tragedies and for Lee, Manchester is haunted by the ghosts of his past. Lee has purposefully extracted himself from his old life and returning home forces him to reckon with the events of his past. Indeed, much of the film is about the ways in which location can be tied to trauma and how some pain can be too great to ever truly come to terms with.

That’s not to say that Manchester by the Sea is all tough going. Lonergan counteracts the pain with well-observed humour in order to make his film not only endurable, but often pleasurable. His characters are frequently very funny, whether it be in the milieu-specific banter that they use to relieve stress and tension, or inadvertently, such as when a phone buzzes during a particularly inopportune moment, or when Lee and his nephew Patrick take a wrong turn out of a funeral parlour and lose their car.

When, in the films most devastating scene, Lee runs into his ex-wife, played by a terrific Michelle Williams, she tries to relieve some of his pain. But this is not a film that succumbs to the pat psychiatric tropes popular with so many screenwriters and there is no easy redemption ready to be unlocked as Lonergan eschews a reductive, textbook account of grief and guilt, in order to build a compassionate, human account of the intricacies of what amounts to Lee’s emotional self-annihilation.

What's on at Waterside

Where to go near Manchester by the Sea at Waterside Arts Centre

Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Bean and Brush Art Café

Bean & Brush is a family art café in Sale which serves simple, tasty food with ingredients sourced from local suppliers. The bonus for parents is the arts and crafts studio which keeps the kids busy being creative while they can join in or relax with a coffee.

Manchester
Park
Grosvenor Square

Grosvenor Square is one of the few open spaces along Oxford Road Manchester; on sunny days, students from the nearby Manchester School of Art come out to bask.

Manchester
Park
Walkden Gardens

Walkden Gardens in the Manchester suburbs has all the makings of a fairy tale garden. As a venue, it’s hard to imagine a more magical gateway, a wonderful escape only a short(ish) stroll from the Brooklands Metrolink stop..

Sale
Restaurant
Meze & More

An intimate supper club in Sale, South Manchester, with a specialist focus on Middle Eastern and Greek cuisine.

shop
Stretford
Shopping Centre
Stretford Mall

Stretford Mall has undergone a major transformation, turning a 60s shopping centre into a vibrant, community-led town centre. Led by Trafford Council and Bruntwood Works.

longford park ben williams
Manchester
Park
Longford Park

Longford Park in Stretford was created in the grounds of Longford Hall, the grand entrance steps of which remain.

Manchester
Park
Wythenshawe Park

With a 17th Century hall set in 109 acres of open parkland, Wythenshawe Park makes a super day out for all ages. Explore the historic woodlands, lush grasslands and meadows; take a stroll around the many themed gardens and check out the sports and leisure facilities on offer.

Beech Road, Chorlton
Bar or Pub
97 Chorlton

97 is a smart new cocktail bar from the team behind Tariff & Dale and The Lead Station, based on Beech Road in Chorlton.

What's on: Cinema

Two young women dance in a nightclub, smiling next to each other.
CinemaManchester
The Last Days of Disco + Q&A at HOME

Director Whit Stillman presents a 35mm screenings of one of the best films of the nineties, as a group of twenty-somethings navigate The Last Days of Disco.

From £7.95
Until
CinemaManchester
YANK at Cultplex

Thirteen movies to get to know the United States of America. Cultplex presents a season of film exploring America through its own lens.

From £7.50

Culture Guides

Star Nhà Ease
Cinema in the North

July's cinema highlights include spotlights on international cinema, a new cult classic, plus a visit from one of our favourite directors.

Exhibitions in the North

Captivating, urgent and intimate - we bring you our top exhibition picks, with even more art festivals, artist-led shows and new venues.

Theatre in Manchester
Theatre in the North

Summer signals theatre festivals, world premieres and open-air spectacle - from MIF25 to comedy, outdoor circus and beyond, here’s what we’re looking forward to.

European Poetry Festival European Camarade
Literature Events in the North

From tongue-twisters to twisty page-turners, we have all kinds of spoken word surprises in the latest literature round-up.