The Way Back: Ben Affleck's Manchester By The Sea
Ben Affleck plays Jack Cunningham, a former high school basketball star, who is now a middle-aged construction worker and alcoholic. He drinks on the job, in the shower and finishes off the packs in his fridge at night. He isolates himself and only interacts with the people at the bar he visits nightly. Jack appears to be in a spiral after separating from his wife as said in the beginning but as the film progresses his backstory begins to unravel. A life full of pain drives Jack into his raging addiction.
When I was watching the film I found many similarities between it and Manchester By The Sea. The level of raw emotion for Ben and his brother Casey Affleck is so high and they both are masters at making the audiences feel. The back story for each is also slowly revealed of these men's traumatic past that has to lead them to be broken and isolated. The stories work to find something that brings value to their lives without overshadowing their problems. Both performances by the brothers are truly incredible and it is hard to imagine any other actor in these roles or even delivering a performance that feels so real like these two do in their respective movies.
The Way Back is successful in not being overly dramatic or cliche. It sets itself up as a sports film with Jack receiving a call from his former high school to step in as the coach of the basketball team. The film manages to back away from a coaching story and leads audiences in different directions as Jack's emotional state and backstory are explored through his coaching. The film is about an addict and the sports plotline never overshadows it. As the team starts winning games it might seem like this will heal Jack's pain and turn him around but it does the opposite. He continues to feel pain and things aren't magically going to be resolved for him. The film is about the human condition.
Affleck gives a raw performance as Jack's past is dived into. He seems like he is always about to explode with emotion and reach a breaking point. The performance is extremely believable given Affleck's past with addiction; he fully embodies Jack and you can see actual raw emotion. Jack is a man who is broken by something that happened in his past that he hasn't dealt with properly. His role as a basketball coach allows him to do something meaningful in the world to show themselves they still offer value and it can allow him to attempt at healing. Affleck is rarely cast in roles where he can demonstrate his ability to act and this role reminds people of why they like Ben Affleck.
Overall The Way Back is a film that will resonate with a lot of people who see it. There is a very real feel of humanity in it that doesn't feel artificial at all. In the end, you feel for Jack and Ben where you just want to see a win for them but you also understand why they are this way. They haven't properly healed and it is emotional.