Manchester by the Sea

Casey Affleck is phenomenal in this film, fully deserving of every award he receives for his role of Lee Chandler, a depressed man who can't see the joy in life anymore, not after (spoiler alert!) a fire claims the lives of his three small children.
He lives in Boston, whittling his days away as a janitor/handyman, not understanding or caring when a woman flirts with him, he picks fights for no good reason at a bar. And then his brother, Joe (Kyle Chandler) dies of a heart attack. The poor man had congestive heart failure and he wasn't even fifty yet. Lee returns home and is greeted with his brother's dead body.
The main plot of the film is Lee being given guardianship of Joe's sixteen-year-old son, Patrick (Lucas Hedges), something Joe never bothered to mention to Lee as Lee almost without a doubt would have said no, with good reason, as some members of the town blame Lee for the fire, including himself. But he temporarily takes custody, though it is a struggle, even planning Joe's funeral is challenging as the ground is too frozen for Joe to even be buried yet and Patrick isn't thrilled with Joe's body being shoved in a freezer until that time comes.
And seeing his ex-wife Randi (the great Michelle Williams) with her new husband and new baby is just painful, clearly etched on his face.
But Lee ultimately wants what's best for Patrick and tries to stay in that town as Patrick actually has stuff doing on, including two girlfriends, a band and plays hockey. Lee only likes one of the girlfriends.
It is a struggle for Lee to get out of bed in the morning as he blames himself for not putting the screen in front of the fireplace before he left the house to get some snacks and just when you think Patrick understands why Lee isn't able to make small talk with another grown adult, the point is never brought up. Patrick wants to stay and keep his father's boat going. Fortunately, by selling some valuable collectible guns, the motor is able to be replaced and that also leaves the temptation of Lee once again trying to shoot himself off the table.
Patrick also reconnects with his mother, Elise (Gretchen Mol) who is now a recovering alcoholic but that meeting does not go well. Her fiance, Jeffrey (Matthew Broderick) is controlling and no longer wants her to have any contact with her only child, so that leaves Lee to care for Patrick.
And he tries, though he is still battling his old fears, confronting them head-on when he leaves something to burn on the stove, but this time, nothing bad happened, but it makes him realize that he can't care for Patrick. He arranges with George (C.J. Wilson), a good friend of the family to care for Patrick until Patrick turns eighteen. Earlier in the film, he mentioned that he was trying to get rid of kids instead so I don't know why he changes his mind. But he will at least put in a better effort to be closer to his nephew, as that is all the family he has left.
While the plot is simple, though the use of flashbacks is both odd and necessary, it is a little odd. The film is almost Lee's stream of conscious as all the memories in the past are his. Despite this, and the overall depressing ton without really any redemption at the end, the film is excellent with great, natural performances from everyone. The scenery is great and the camera angles are well thought-out. The film makes you grateful for everything you have, perhaps that is reason enough for the film to be made. Grade: A-