Manchester by the Sea

Manchester by the Sea tells the story of Lee Chandler, a brooding and gruff, yet charismatic, man in his mid-40s who has built a new life for himself in Boston. Lee has been living a reclusive and solitary existence, working as a handyman and a maintenance janitor at a apartment building. His past, however, is a source of great pain and regret. When his older brother, Joe, dies suddenly in a tragic accident on a fishing boat, Lee returns to Manchester, Massachusetts, his hometown, to identify his brother's body and deal with the resulting fallout. Joe's death opens up a will that reveals Lee is the appointed guardian of his 16-year-old son, Patrick, a development that sets off a series of complex emotions and conflicted feelings within Lee. As Lee sorts through the belongings of his recently deceased brother, he is struck by the opulent furnishings and well-maintained house, which was his childhood home. The house has been taken care of by Joe, who had decided not to sell it, despite the absence of Lee, who had left Manchester after a tumultuous divorce and the death of his wife, Randi. Upon entering the house, Lee is greeted by the devastated mother of his deceased brother, Mrs. Chandler, who stands nearby as if frozen in grief. When Lee visits his sister-in-law, Georgie, who lives nearby, he is subjected to an uncomfortable conversation that ultimately unfolds with an admission: Georgie recounts a story from Lee's point of view to express his reason for leaving town. This makes it clear that the breakup of Lee's current love, and apparent demise of any long-term romantic future, are fueled by regret due to what he thinks of as abandonment and an unseen loss to Randi which he is left to ponder himself and how he fails to deal with his grief of loosing a sister too in the hospital. Lee is also met with condemnation from the townsfolk, who view him as a bad guy who abandoned his wife with nothing short of infidelity, rather than someone torn apart by circumstance and uncontrollable turmoil. The townspeople of Manchester can't see beyond Lee's past mistakes and forget the pain he endured as a person. They are quick to criticize, and their judgment brings back bitter memories that Lee wished he could leave behind. Lee even comes up with a new plan to run away from what's left of his life. Meanwhile Patrick visits Lee twice at his flat attempting to interact in a poor mood. Lee feels tormented every time he looks at his deceased brother's photos with Randi. Only as Lee gets closer to his nephew, does he find an opportunity to confront his dark past and reckon with his deep guilt over abandoning his young children and the pain he has caused to the people of Manchester. As he struggles to connect with Patrick and build trust with him, a bond starts to form between the hesitant Lee and his nephew. Eventually, they begin working through some of the darkest periods in Lee's life. In order to help Patrick and return the keys back to Mrs. Chandler, the bonds he creates with the love he leaves behind with his family is what it helps him build confidence and bring meaning to his life with regret.