Nearly a decade after its award-winning release, Manchester by the Sea continues to provoke deep reflection for its stark, realistic portrayal of unresolved grief.
The ending, far from giving the audience traditional closure, presents Lee Chandler as a man weighed down by a tragedy that defines his existence rather than liberates him from it.
Tasked with caring for his nephew Patrick after the sudden death of his brother Joe, Lee’s return to Manchester is less a homecoming and more a reluctant confrontation with past trauma.
The wounds from the accidental death of his children haunt every step, and Lee is open about his inability to simply “beat it,” despite growing moments of connection with Patrick.
Critics have called the film an unvarnished character study, noting how Kenneth Lonergan’s direction avoids romanticizing Lee’s pain or forcing him into a redemptive arc.
Instead, viewers see a man with deep affection for Patrick but also honest limits: Lee cannot raise Patrick in Manchester, believing he’s unfit for family life in a place saturated with memories. This isn’t a failure of love or character, but the reality of someone who bears trauma too heavy to simply wish away.
The nuanced performances, particularly by Casey Affleck, heighten this sense of authenticity. Affleck’s portrayal earned widespread critical acclaim and an Academy Award and is often compared to the raw intensity of classic cinema icons.
Yet while some expected a Hollywood-style transformation, the closing scenes with Lee and Patrick fishing on Joe’s boat invite viewers to find beauty in acceptance, rather than easy answers. Their quiet bond, forged through shared grief, is seen by many reviewers as the film’s true source of hope.
Deconstructing the Criticism: Did Manchester by the Sea Go Too Far or Not Far Enough?
Much of the discussion around the film’s conclusion questions whether Lonergan’s direction is too uncompromising for mainstream audiences. Some critics argue that Lee Chandler’s journey could have benefited from greater catharsis, perhaps a symbolic act of redemption or a renewed commitment to his nephew.
Yet others counter that the film’s refusal to provide manufactured closure makes it memorable and powerful, with its honesty striking a chord in an era of polished, formulaic endings.
Manchester by the Sea (Credit: Netflix)
The film has also sparked debate about its representation of working-class Massachusetts life. While praised for its authentic dialogue and setting, some have questioned whether the film too neatly packages the struggles of grief and socio-economic reality, pointing to the backgrounds of its creators as outsiders to the community they depict.
Despite these criticisms, local audiences largely embraced the chance to see their world portrayed on screen, even if imperfectly, as the movie poured real attention into everyday interactions and unspoken pain.
The absence of a post-credits scene or extended epilogue keeps the final note subdued, reinforcing Lonergan’s intention to let Lee’s story rest in ongoing uncertainty. Instead of resolving every emotional thread, the film asks viewers to accept the imperfect nature of healing and the burden of memory that doesn’t dissipate with time.
Acceptance as the True Victory: What Manchester by the Sea Leaves Behind
If Manchester by the Sea has anything definitive to say through its ending, it’s that sometimes, survival itself is a victory. Lee’s confession to Patrick that he “can’t beat it” shifts the narrative emphasis from overcoming trauma to learning how to coexist with it.
Their moment on Joe’s boat isn’t so much a triumphant return to innocence as it is an unspoken understanding: they don’t have to solve every wound to keep moving forward.
This refusal to force closure has influenced subsequent films dealing with loss, as reviewers continue citing Manchester by the Sea as a reference point for honest storytelling.
The film’s emotional accuracy, attention to dialogue, and everyday moments have solidified its reputation beyond mere critical success; it’s become a touchstone for authentic drama and for audiences seeking stories that mirror life’s complexity rather than sidestep it.
In the end, the film leaves Lee Chandler’s future open yet faintly less hopeless. The possibility that good things might lie ahead is quietly present, symbolized by the shared boat ride, a reminder that healing can mean simply staying afloat together, not reaching shore in a rush.
Motherless Brooklyn, directed by and starring Edward Norton, drops viewers into 1950s New York, where urban development is shadowed by greed and manipulation. The central detective, Lionel Essrog, who manages Tourette’s syndrome, investigates the brutal murder of his mentor, Frank Minna.
This quest leads him to expose the ruthless urban planning schemes of Randolph Moses, a power broker reshaping the city with little concern for the community’s welfare.
Norton’s film, inspired by Jonathan Lethem’s novel but adapted to spotlight the political environment of the era, especially highlights the destructive influence of unchecked power on neighborhoods and lives. The story’s layers of corruption and racial and social injustice provide a grim portrait of city politics cloaked in noir aesthetics.
The ending underscores the heavy cost of these power struggles, showing that behind the gleaming development projects are countless lives uprooted and forgotten. Penn Station, symbolizing one of these great losses, represents a spiritual and cultural void created by such ruthless modernization efforts.
Through Lionel’s eyes, the film critiques the human price of political ambition and economic gain, making the city itself a character shaped by greed and manipulation.
This focus on a systemic issue makes the film more than a detective story; it’s a commentary on history repeating itself and cities losing their souls to profit-driven agendas.
Lionel’s Personal Battles and Family Secrets
The climax of Motherless Brooklyn differs significantly from the book but is rich with emotional and psychological insight. As Lionel digs deeper, he not only confronts external enemies but also unravels difficult truths about his closest allies and the roots of his own identity.
The revelation that Moses is the biological father of Laura, a woman close to Lionel, adds a personal dimension to the political corruption.
Motherless Brooklyn (Credit: Amazon Prime Video)
Lionel discovers a key hidden in Frank’s possessions, leading to a storage locker containing crucial evidence, a property deed, and Laura’s birth certificate that ties this family secret directly to Moses’s manipulations.
This intertwining of family and corruption reveals how deeply personal the fight for justice becomes for Lionel. The ending features sharp, tense moments where Lionel races to protect Laura from assassination attempts, underlining themes of loyalty and the painful realities of uncovering long-buried truths.
Despite his Tourette’s-related struggles, Lionel’s relentless pursuit reflects resilience in the face of overwhelming odds.
His personal journey from outsider to someone directly entangled in the city’s dark power games gives the story profound emotional weight and complexity. This blending of intimate character development with larger social issues is a core strength of the film’s conclusion.
Justice, Loss, and Quiet Resilience
The final scenes of the movie portray Lionel’s confrontation with Moses and the broader corrupt system, but they do so without conventional catharsis. Instead of a dramatic takedown, the resolution feels more like a quiet reckoning.
Lionel, after suffering physical violence and betrayal, manages to protect Laura and reveal the truth, though not all injustices are fully undone. The trumpet player’s unexpected intervention and the symbolic moments like Lionel throwing away personal items reflect a bittersweet acknowledgement of loss and the cost of survival.
The film closes with Lionel driving back to Brooklyn shoeless, a metaphor for vulnerability but also for moving forward with hard-earned wisdom. This ambiguous yet hopeful ending emphasizes that justice is partial and ongoing, especially against entrenched systemic corruption.
It rejects neat closures in favor of realism, portraying Lionel as a man who has changed but must continue moving through a complicated world. This conclusion honors the noir roots of Motherless Brooklyn while adding deeper reflections on resilience amid imperfection.
Edward Norton’s work resonates because it combines a gripping detective narrative with sharp social critique and character study. The ending makes us reflect on how history, family, and identity intertwine with political power, shaping lives in unexpected ways.
While some viewers may find the film’s pacing and complexity challenging, its multilayered finale rewards close attention with rich thematic insights, making Motherless Brooklyn a memorable piece that lingers long after the screen goes dark.
