About this video

• Video Title: Showing Realistic Grief - Manchester By The Sea
• Channel: Thomas Flight
• Speakers: Thomas Flight
• Duration: 00:06:17

Overview

This video analyzes how the film "Manchester by the Sea" uses realism to depict the impact of grief on its characters. The creator argues that director Kenneth Lonergan subverts traditional cinematic approaches to emotional scenes, opting for a more grounded and less dramatic portrayal of mourning, which ultimately makes the characters' grief feel more authentic.

Key takeaways

• Subversion of Cinematic Norms: The film avoids common, heightened emotional scenes (like dramatic funerals or deathbeds) in favor of more realistic, often mundane, portrayals of how grief manifests.
• Use of Distance and Obscurity: Lonergan employs techniques such as obscuring dialogue with music, using slow motion, and incorporating humor to create distance, preventing the audience from experiencing the heightened emotional catharsis typically found in dramatic films.
• Grief in Everyday Moments: The film emphasizes that significant emotional events and grief often occur in ordinary, everyday situations, and can even be obscured by them, mirroring real-life experiences.
• Cinematography Reinforces Realism: The use of wide shots for most of the film, with close-ups reserved for everyday moments, further supports the theme of grief existing within the fabric of normal life, not just during peak emotional events.
• Non-linear Storytelling and Setting: The film's structure and its grounding in the setting of Manchester trigger memories, forcing characters to confront their past and grief in a way that feels organic rather than purely for dramatic effect.

The video delves into director Kenneth Lonergan's realistic approach to portraying grief in "Manchester by the Sea." It contrasts this with typical cinematic conventions for emotional scenes, such as funerals, which are often heightened for dramatic effect.

Lonergan, the analysis explains, deliberately pulls back from these conventions. He uses techniques like obscuring dialogue with music, employing slow motion to create distance, and even incorporating humor. A key example is the scene where Lee tells Patrick his father has died; Lonergan forces the audience to watch from a distance, unable to fully hear the dialogue, which paradoxically makes the moment feel more real because it's not manipulated for dramatic impact.

The video argues that real-life emotions don't follow a structured, cue-driven format. Significant life events can pass by in a blur, and profound emotions might resurface later in quiet moments. Grief, it's suggested, doesn't end when the cameras stop rolling.

The cinematography of the film is also analyzed, noting the prevalence of wide shots contrasted with close-ups during ordinary moments, reinforcing the idea that grief is interwoven with daily life. The film's non-linear storytelling and the setting of Manchester are presented as crucial elements that trigger memories, forcing the protagonist, Lee, to confront his past and his grief.

Ultimately, the video concludes that by eschewing conventional cinematic drama and embracing the messiness, annoyances, and unexpected moments of real life, "Manchester by the Sea" makes the characters' grief feel more authentic. The potential for healing is acknowledged, but it's presented as a process that will be non-cinematic, emerging from quiet, everyday moments rather than grand dramatic gestures.