MARGARET
Film: ***1/2
Kenneth Lonergan's long, tortured journey to get this moving, sweeping drama both made and released has been covered well in many places by this point. But it's not until you see the film itself that you can both more palpably feel the pain and see why he--and a number of critics--cared so much about it. After dumping it quietly in selected theaters last year, Fox Seachlight got the message and has re-released Margaret...quietly in selected theaters.
While the film does suffer at times from histrionics--where instead of being an actors' showcase, as it is quite often, it crosses the line into overtly shrew-y shriekfest--it is often undeniably heartfelt and moving, too. Lonergan's experience as a playwright helps (and occasionally harms) him here, not just in the series of brief but winning glimpses set on stage, not just in his understanding of the theater actor's world, but in giving his actors scenery to chew, words to swing from.
And so naturally he's an actors director, too, and the cast is for the most part excellent. Small roles are given to Matt Damon and Matthew Broderick as teachers, and they're fine--though their casting obviously did not ultimately help the film avoid being delayed and dumped. Mark Ruffalo does his earnest best in a difficult role as a bus driver responsible for a tragic accident at the center of the story, and Kieran Culkin and John Gallagher also lend capable support as two friends who may or may not be part of Lisa's love life. But the best work is from Anna Paquin as Lisa--the main character (Margaret is a literary reference that will become clear when you see the film)--and J. Smith Cameron as her divorced mom, a neurotic stage actress struggling to cope with her precocious, moody teenage daughter. Cameron is Lonergan's wife but she is superbly well-cast, having been a stage actress herself, and a tremendous actress, she and Paquin have great chemistry. You truly believe they are a mother-daughter pair in both love and hatefulness.
The film's story lives in the shadow of 9/11, having been written and then shot fairly soon after, and some of those elements already feel a little dated. But unlike Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, this rarely feels coyly manipulative, even if it does get didactic at times; but it lives with its skin off and its organs exposed, with the characters own micro-neuroses and self-involvement coming on the heels of an epic tragedy. And Lisa as a character properly reflects the probing, aching ego exploration of a smart, fumbling teen, who means well and yearns to be approved, even when she causes more damage in her wake.
In short, Margaret is a mess at times, frustrating, too, but it's earnest, powerful, painful and poignant. It deserves an audience, and to be discussed.
And I do hope to someday get a chance to see the longer, Lonergan-Scorsese cut, which may cut down on some of the rushed-choppiness in the narrative.
Meanwhile, I managed to procure a copy of Lonergan's script, a draft dated July 2003. The draft I have is a whopping 183 pages. As has been reported in many places, the film was delayed for several years as Lonergan wrestled with the studio and several outside editors were brought in (as well as Lonergan bringing in Martin Scorsese, whose cut is reportedly longer than this theatrical version).
In a follow-up post I will look at the screenplay vs. the finished film that I saw, but for now wanted to post this since it's only playing here in San Francisco for a few more days (the SF Film Society Cinema on Post Street).
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