Dubbed as the best Film at Sundance and the must see film of the year, writer-director Kenneth Lonergan‘s Manchester By The Sea has released a trailer promising an achingly beautiful film. The story follows a Boston based handyman (played by Casey Affleck) who returns to the seaside town he grew up in after discovering his brother has passed away and left him to be the guardian of his nephew (played by Lucas Hedges). Being back in town resurfaces old wounds resulting in a bitter sweet journey that helps the pair’s pre existing bond grow stronger.

The cast also includes Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Matthew Broderick, C.J. Wilson and Gretchen Mol. Affleck is always brilliant, his talent shines and exceeds the expectations of the film even in his smaller roles in the likes of The Assassination of Jesse James (2007), Out of the Furnace (2013) and even the Ocean’s Eleven trilogy. With this role, he is bound to give a lot of best actor contenders a run for their money come next year. The inclusion of Williams in this film, with her incredibly heartbreaking performance in Brokeback Mountain (2005), makes it all the more attractive. Hedges, who has played rather unmemorable roles in Wes Anderson’s most recent features, has been labelled a star in the making by critics after his performance in this film.

Manchester By The Sea opens in theatres in November of this year in the US and January of next year in the UK. Watch the trailer below.

Casey Affleck in Manchester By The Sea

Michelle Williams and Casey Affleck in Manchester By The Sea