Sustaining buzz for eleven months isn’t easy, but “Manchester By The Sea” has certainly done that, coming out of Sundance with terrific word of mouth, and now headed into the Oscar season as a contender in some key categories. The performances are a no brainer with Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams both in the mix for their roles in this story of a man forced to face his past after his brother suddenly passes away, leaving him the legal guardian of his nephew. But the score by Lesley Barber is also among the best of the year. And she was given plenty of creative freedom from director Kenneth Lonergan to put together the music for the film.
“He really gives me a lot of room to develop ideas and to create music,” she told EW. “Sometimes with other filmmakers, you’re checking in right away with very undeveloped sketches. But with Kenny, I really felt we had a sure hand and I could develop an entire piece and send it to him almost completely finished — although we saved the string recordings until the end of the process — but I really felt that I could take a piece the full way, and that’s a wonderful thing about working with someone a number of times.”
The result is a beautiful piece of work, with the main theme “Manchester by the Sea Chorale” aiding in the film’s emotional pull. Meanwhile, a new clip shows Casey Affleck attempting to romance Michelle Williams during happier times.
“Manchester By The Sea” opens this Friday.