Margaret
★★★★★
(2011)
The few of us who saw and can remember Kenneth Lonergan’s 2001 debut You Can Count on Me still testify to its genius. A small story, perfectly realised and paced, about a woman (Laura Liney) whose life is suddenly challenged by the return of her estranged brother (Mark Ruffalo). The film only had a few characters, its focus was one of its great strengths and the performances were undeniably brilliant. The few of us who were touched by the film were equally as disappointed when Lonergan himself turned into an estranged brother until 2005 when it was announced that he was finally shooting a far more ambitious film in New York.
That was six years ago and it is only this month that the film, Margaret is released on DVD after a tiny run in a handful of cinemas and although hailed as almost perfect by fans and critics alike the film still remains inexplicably non marketed, under appreciated and un-pushed by the studio responsible for its hold up. The lawsuits and bickering which surround it are becoming legendary; Friend and producer Martin Scorsese (who kept the wolves from the door during You Can Count on Me) and editor Thema Schoonmaker eventually delivered the studio and Lonergan approved edit of 150 minutes and, later, Lonergan himself produced an extended 186 minute version.
All of the fuss revolves around a girl of course. And not a girl named Margaret either. A never better Anna Paquin plays Lisa, a flirtatious, volatile and fiercely intelligent mess of a student in a classy New York high school. Her teachers, (Matt Damon and Matthew Broderick among them) are obviously challenged, exasperated, threatened and attracted to her and by her and as she dishes out disdain for any debate in class or for any conversation at home Lonergan builds a wonderful lost character study of youth. On top of that her mother (an equally brilliant J. Cameron-Smith) only gets sneers of disgust from her daughter at any attempt to bridge the widening gap in their relationship, her father (Lonergan himself) is almost praising of Lisa’s kicking and screaming contempt in post 9/11 New York far away from the big apple in his beach house on the west coast.
When a simple errand results in a sweet innocent and wordless back and forth between Lisa and bus driver Marretti (Mark Ruffalo) and ends, ultimately, in tragedy, Lisa’s life turns into what she calls a moral gymnasium. A place she feels it necessary to exercise her compass and to become a stronger and better young woman. But to what end? Is Lisa’s crusade for right? Is it for a just cause or is it simply to put her at the centre of a fierce drama with no purpose but to challenge her mother and her career as a stage actress? As an audience we are viciously subjected to Lisa’s illogical, clouded and naive view of the world and Lonergan's script has no qualms about closely studying a character so flawed and embittered as Lisa, a move which has earned him flack from purist film critics.
The cast are wonderful; Jean Reno is charismatic as Lisa’s mother’s wannabe boyfriend, Broderick and Damon are used sparsely and effectively, Ruffalo is amazing as always in only a handful of scenes but the real star is undoubtedly Paquin. Far from the cardboard cut out angst of Sookie Stackhouse in HBO’s god awful True Blood, she excels. Her young face is lemon bitter perfect as she screams, claws and fights for anything she wants to and is sweet and alluring when around the company of the boys and men she uses only to reassure herself.
It’s a remarkably unhinged performance in a character film more than worthy of our time. Yes, its a bit of a mess in the films centre, it has gaps of character which can only be down to the drastically reduced run time, but what a wonderful mess it is. It never feels laboured or cold, it snaps along with a firecracker smart script by Lonergan and no matter how infuriatingly coarse Lisa is, it’s on this ground that he confidently and perfectly sells the lengthy drama and intrigue of Margaret.
Essential.
