Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I’m a movie lover but I usually try to avoid heart-wrenching stories, unless they had been previously acclaimed by many serious sources. Even then I’m very picky. I do not write reviews, though, there are experts for that that I rather read. So why I’m writing a review for Manchester by the Sea? Because it was a tragic story that I didn't plan on watching and now is one of my all-time favorites. The thing is, I traveled to the US to visit my daughter and she made me go with her to see this movie, said it had 96 rating in metacritic, high ranked in imdb, whatever. So I went, secretly prepared to count down the minutes until it ended, and very thankful that we were at the alamo theater where I could order food and drinks in case I couldn't stand it. But then the unexpected happened. The story sucked me in, so fully, that at the end I wanted the film to continue, to watch the main characters interact a little bit longer. Maybe I wasn't the only one, most people in the theater (fully packed) also remained, watching the credits, as if not ready to leave just as yet. Well, since the movie made such a strong impression, and since we knew already the spoilers, we went back three days later to check if it was as good as the first time. It was. First of all, I think this film has the best acting among the nominated pictures I’ve seen so far, and I’ve seen most of them except Lion and Moonlight (tragic stories that maybe I’ll watch later on), the four SAG nominations well deserved. Casey Affleck's wide range of emotions in just one film, from feeling numb, to feeling raw, to slowly opening his heart, peeling the layers one by one, well, it was the best acting I’ve seen in years. Great acting also from Lucas Hedges, Michelle Williams, the whole cast really. Then there’s the story, the script. Yes, it is definitely heart-wrenching, but it felt so real, as if I was a witness of real events, mesmerizing. And even more surprising, I left the theater with a sense of hope, a lingering feeling that people always have more to give, even when someone thinks there's nothing left for them to give. A better feeling that I had at the end of La La Land, that’s for sure (and isn't that ironic). So although I think that most of the nominated films that I've watched are great, I've been recommending my drama-haters-friends to watch this film when it's released in my country, or when the bluray is released, for its great acting and great "family and friends coping with what life throws at us" story. For movie lovers, I think it shouldn't be missed. And given my reluctance at first, and the resulting gratifying experience, I wanted to share my opinion with other people who also dislike tragic stories and hope they enjoy this movie as much as I did.