Review of Margaret (2011) by Spangle — 07 Jan 2017

At three hours, the extended cut of this film is a really behemoth. I am watching director Kenneth Lonergan's filmography is reverse order, having already seen Manchester by the Sea before watching Margaret. That said, this film further shows that there is a rule when watching a Longeran. If things can get worse, they absolutely will. In this film, a woman is killed by a bus and young Lisa Cohen (Anna Paquin) is a witness and a cause of the accident, as she purposely distracted the bus driver. The rest of the film depicts her trying to right this wrong and come to terms with the negative impact she had in this case. Largely a character study, Margaret is a film with a dire and pessimistic depiction of the world and of human beings. Yet, as is the case with his follow-up to this film, Margaret is oddly emotionally cathartic. Though it really goes the full 12 rounds with your heart and emotions, the film is an operatic and beautiful portrayal of life, death, teenagers, and human relationships.

The star of this film is Lisa Cohen. A teenage high school student, Lisa is a complicated character. Young, naive, angsty, antagonistic, strident, dramatic, and in a rush to grow up even if she knows nothing, Lisa is not somebody many people should like. However, why this film soars as a character study is Lonergan's refusal to judge her. At the end of the day, all of this anger, mistreatment of her mother, and distance, comes from her regret and pain over causing the death of a woman. She finds ways to deal with the pain and try to forget about it, though it is causing her great strain in her life and her relationships. She needs to release it all and let herself off the hook. By the end of the film, no matter how bratty and irresponsible and disrespectful she acts, you cannot help but feel great sympathy for her and what she has been through. It is tough growing up, let alone seeing such a gruesome death at a young age. Even more challenging, she is idealistic and believes the world must operate in a certain fashion. Though adults grow out of this, as said in the film, teenagers still have this clear view of the world. When things do not align in this fashion and people do not trip over themselves to agree with her, she is confused, affronted, and distraught. Though her traits make her sound horrible, Margaret truly portrays a tragic picture of Lisa and the shattering of her innocent and naive world. Ignorance is truly bliss and for her, she will no longer be ignorant.

An incredibly powerful film, it is clear that Lonergan loves the opera as much as Damien Chazelle loves jazz. With characters going to the opera multiple times in the film, the clearest definition of Lonergan's love of opera is the end. Cathartic, the opera leaves young Lisa in tears next to her mother, Joan (J. Smith-Cameron). The close shows Lisa embrace Joan in tears. While showing the power of the opera, it also shows tremendous growth for Lisa. Fighting with her mother throughout the film, she is now willing to accept her with open arms. She has grown up and is moving past her angsty and existential teenager phase.

At times, however, the film also parallels Lisa's interpretation of the opera. Perceiving it to be merely a medium in which the singers try to yell as loud as possible, Lisa's life is very much the same. Fighting with her mom, fighting with strangers, fighting with classmates, and more, she is antagonistic and looking for somebody to unleash upon at all turns. It is as if she is in her own opera and trying to outscream those around her, out of a belief that she knows best in spite of her lack of life experience. This behavior reveals a lot about her character throughout as her response to conflict is to become defensive and argumentative. She shuts out others and just assumes she is correct without altering her view. Yet, it makes sense because her mother is the same way. She overreacts and takes disagreement as a personal attack. She overreacts and pushes people away just because of a disagreement.

Powerful, depressing, and very long, Margaret's extended cut suffers from some filler. Moments come and go without adding much to the plot. That said, as the film is attempting to replicate real life, these moments are pretty easy to make sense of in the world of the film. Though everything may not advance the plot, the plot is merely an excuse to study Lisa and what makes her tick. This examination works as a large examination of teenagers and their place in the world. For Lonergan, the world is dark and depressing. Teenagers may wish they were older and try to put themselves in adult situations (losing their virginity and having sex), but the realities of adulthood (abortion, death, pain, loneliness, and injustice) will show them that being an adult is not easy. By the end, Lisa has realized this and shows her mother long overdue affection. Sadly, it comes as a result of her losing her innocence and optimism.