Margaret centers on a 17-year-old New York City high-school student who feels certain that she inadvertently played a role in a traffic accident that has claimed a woman’s life. In her attempts to set things right she meets with opposition at every step. Torn apart with frustration, she begins emotionally brutalizing her family, her friends, her teachers, and most of all, herself. She has been confronted quite unexpectedly with a basic truth: that her youthful ideals are on a collision course against the realities and compromises of the adult world.
Margaret is a drama film written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan. The film stars Anna Paquin, Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo, Kieran Culkin, Olivia Thirlby, and Rosemarie DeWitt. Margaret originally was scheduled for release in 2007 by Fox Searchlight Pictures, but was repeatedly delayed while Lonergan struggled to create a final cut he was satisfied with, resulting in multiple lawsuits.
About the Story
A 17-year-old Manhattan student, Lisa Cohen, shopping on the Upper West Side, interacts with bus driver Gerald Maretti as she runs alongside his moving bus; he allows himself to become distracted, leading to a fatal accident by missing a red light, in which a pedestrian, Monica Patterson, is hit by the bus and subsequently dies in Lisa’s arms.
Initially, Lisa reports to the police that the driver had a green traffic signal, but later, out of remorse, changes her story. She confronts Maretti, who first pretends to have forgotten the details of the accident, and then reveals to her in anger that he does remember them, but believes he did nothing wrong, causing Lisa to pursue his firing from the company with passion.
In collaboration with Monica’s best friend, Emily, and cousin, Abigail, Lisa ultimately becomes involved in a wrongful death lawsuit against the Metropolitan Transit Authority, seeking the dismissal of the driver (who is revealed to have caused two previous accidents), as well as monetary damages, which would be awarded to the victim’s next of kin, her cousin. Meanwhile, Lisa’s life takes various turns, including a flirtation with her math teacher, Aaron Caije, her decision to lose her virginity to a classmate, Paul Hirsch, and various vehement debates about politics and terrorism with classmates.
Lisa and her actress mother have a rocky relationship, with sporadic fighting and Lisa expressing ambivalence toward her mother’s boyfriend Ramon. An after-show dinner, attended by Lisa, her mother, Emily and Ramon, ends with Ramon making a remark perceived as antisemitic toward Emily. Ramon dies of a heart attack not long afterward. After Lisa’s sexual encounter with Paul, and a subsequent one with Caije, she discovers she is pregnant and has an abortion. Lisa confronts Caije, telling him of the abortion in the presence of another teacher. She expresses doubt about who the father was and mentions that there are two possibilities.
Margaret
Directed by: Kenneth Lonergan
Starring: Matt Damon, Anna Paquin, Krysten Ritter, Mark Ruffalo, Matthew Broderick, Jeannie Berlin, Sarah Steele, Allison Janney, Jean Reno, Betsy Aidem
Screenplay by: Kenneth Lonergan
Production Design by: Dan Leigh
Cinematography by: Ryszard Lenczewski
Film Editing by: Mike Fay, Anne McCabe
Costume Design by: Melissa Toth
Set Decoration by: Ron von Blomberg
Art Direction by: James Donahue
Music by: Nico Muhly
MPAA Rating: R for strong language, sexuality, some drug use and disturbing images.
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release Date: September 30th, 2011
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