Manchester by the Sea (2016)

Grief doesn’t get fixed in Manchester by the Sea, and if you need a big healing breakthrough before the credits, this 137-minute winter will feel long. The flashbacks also slip in without warning, so the first half hour can leave you working out when you are. And in the film’s hardest flashback, a swelling classical piece plays so loudly it nearly tells you what to feel. The rest is nearly flawless. Casey Affleck plays Lee as a man who has shut every door inside himself, and you can feel what it costs him just to sit in a room. Lucas Hedges is a revelation as Patrick, a busy, funny, grieving teenager juggling hockey and a garage band who refuses to be anybody’s sad story. Michelle Williams has one sidewalk conversation that stays with you for days. Kenneth Lonergan writes people the way they actually talk. A 9.0 because it tells the truth about grief and never cheats. $5,462 says you go find someone you love the minute it ends, even if all you ask is what’s for dinner.

What works: Casey Affleck and Lucas Hedges are extraordinary together, and Kenneth Lonergan’s script finds real, everyday humor without ever undercutting the sorrow.

What doesn’t: The score swells so heavily in the key flashback that it crowds out the performances, and the unannounced time jumps can be confusing early on.

Who it’s for: Viewers ready for a patient, honest drama about loss, family and how people keep going.