Director Kenneth Lonergan brings heartbreak to audiences in the Oscar-nominated film “Manchester by the Sea,” which tells the story of a broken man searching for an end to his suffering and trying to survive along the way. Released in November, the film has a domestic and foreign estimated gross of $45 billion well exceeding its $8.5 million budget. In addition to Best Picture, the film is nominated for Best Original Screenplay. Kenneth Lonergan has also received a nomination for Best Director.

Writers create stories with one simple goal: to tell a great story. Some writers create wonderful, pick-me-up stories like “La La Land,” the kind that make you feel like your dreams are dancing with you on a cloud. Other writers work to provide a close, extremely personal insight into a character or a situation. Being one of these writers, Lonergan writes of suffering, grief and extreme emotional trauma.

Casey Affleck stars as Lee, a solitary janitor living in Boston, angry at the world around him. His brother Joe passes away, leaving Lee to return to their hometown of Manchester, Massachusetts. He is made the guardian of Joe’s teenage son, Patrick, played by Lucas Hedges. Affleck does an exceptional job portraying Lee’s isolation and withdrawal from the world. Affleck’s riveting performance earned him a nomination for Best Actor.

Hedges doesn’t play the typical sad and angsty teenager but shows the character’s sympathy and inexperience with life. Patrick restores Lee’s sense of purpose, without sounding like a tired cliché. He is a refreshing blend of cautious and collected.

The tone of the film is extremely distinguishable, and it sets it apart from its fellow Oscar nominees. The film takes place in the dead of winter, setting a gloomy and nearly frigid tone. The classical musical score, composed by Lesley Barber, smooths over the story while the colors of winter make it morbid and almost lifeless.

Despite the tone, “Manchester by the Sea” couldn’t be more full of life. It’s a story about real life, unpredictable and unfair. However, when things happen, it’s usually not the thing itself that is the worst punishment — it’s what you do to yourself that haunts you forever.