In this film (screenplay also by Kenneth Lonergan) Lisa, a rebellious teenager of uptown Manhattan, is wracked by guilt after she distracts a bus driver, causing him to run a red light and kill a pedestrian. The adults in Lisa’s life, including her actor mother and long-distance father, fumble with their own challenges as Lisa becomes more and more surly and manipulative. I think the film’s greatest strength is its presentation of a range of defense mechanisms that keep characters isolated from one another. An interesting study of self-destructive isolation by several characters. An interesting cast, including Anna Paquin, Mark Ruffalo, Matt Damon, Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, a cameo by Allison Janney, and even Renée Fleming playing herself.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Margaret. Dir. Kenneth
Lonergan. 2011.
In this film (screenplay also by Kenneth Lonergan) Lisa, a rebellious teenager of uptown Manhattan, is wracked by guilt after she distracts a bus driver, causing him to run a red light and kill a pedestrian. The adults in Lisa’s life, including her actor mother and long-distance father, fumble with their own challenges as Lisa becomes more and more surly and manipulative. I think the film’s greatest strength is its presentation of a range of defense mechanisms that keep characters isolated from one another. An interesting study of self-destructive isolation by several characters. An interesting cast, including Anna Paquin, Mark Ruffalo, Matt Damon, Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, a cameo by Allison Janney, and even Renée Fleming playing herself.
In this film (screenplay also by Kenneth Lonergan) Lisa, a rebellious teenager of uptown Manhattan, is wracked by guilt after she distracts a bus driver, causing him to run a red light and kill a pedestrian. The adults in Lisa’s life, including her actor mother and long-distance father, fumble with their own challenges as Lisa becomes more and more surly and manipulative. I think the film’s greatest strength is its presentation of a range of defense mechanisms that keep characters isolated from one another. An interesting study of self-destructive isolation by several characters. An interesting cast, including Anna Paquin, Mark Ruffalo, Matt Damon, Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, a cameo by Allison Janney, and even Renée Fleming playing herself.
