Margaret (2011)

Whatever happened to Kenneth Lonergan? Besides his theater work his last film was You Can Count On Me. Well, he’s been in court dealing with this film that was supposed to come out in 2007. Delayed because of editing troubles and creative differences with the producer, it finally saw the light of day with Martin Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker helping trim thirty minutes out of a three hour cut. Instead of writing a plethora of sentences speculating on the quality of a film I didn’t see or attempting to re-edit the version I saw, I’m going to put it out there that this over-long film was quite amazing. It’s not an easy film to watch. Anna Paquin plays a troubled and almost unlikable teenager who not only is dealing with her involvement in a bus accident but her relationship with her actress mother. It’s the journey with her mother that’s the emotional core of the film and the reason why it resonates so well.  Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo and Matthew Broderick co-star, giving brief by strong performances. I don’t know if Mr. Lonergan will return to the world of cinema but I hope he does. Just the next time maybe he should keep his script under a hundred and ten pages. Grade: A-