Manchester by the Sea (2016) contains a simple enough storyline without too much flash.

But that's just it--This film is bold enough, albeit in the form of quiet confidence, to rely on quality acting and it weaves together a story served up with various flashbacks. 

First and foremost, the film was distributed by Amazon Studios and is available on Amazon Prime right now. It was also the first-ever film released by a digital streaming service to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Although it did not win (the best film I saw in 2016 was Hell or High Water, reviewed here).

Reinforcing the quality of the writing and acting, the film did win two Oscars:  Best Original Screenplay for Kenneth Lonergan (he also directed the film) and Best Actor for Casey Affleck, in the lead role as the very New England Lee Chandler. 

Affleck comes into his own here, clearly distinguishing himself from his brother (Ben Affleck) with an intensely focused, controlled performance which is far more difficult to pull off than it may appear.