Casey Affleck gives a heart wrenching performance in Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea. The film is a drama about love and loss. A slow burn, which is both understated and overwhelming, highlighted by performances by Affleck, Michelle Williams and Lucas Hedges, which took Sundance audiences by storm. After unimaginable grief Casey is appointed guardian to his teenage nephew. Through the difficult relationship with the boy Casey eventually finds a way to face his own demons and eventually to come in from the emotional wilderness. Accomplished playwright, screenwriter and director Lonergan steers clear of melodrama and goes to the heart of emotions with the same stoic understatement of the working class Massachusetts characters which populate his film. The HFPA’s Scott Orlin spoke to Affleck about the film, his role and the importance of festivals in promoting independent cinema.