Review of Margaret (2011) by Alex M — 31 Mar 2013

I think Margaret's greatest accomplishment is how it captures the unpredictability of a teenager's life like its protagonist, Lisa. However, this is not to say that this is always a good thing, as there were several points in the film where I questioned the dialogue and situations presented, as well as the ingenuity of some of the characters.

Several of the main characters seemed insanely on edge for the entire second half of the film, and the arguments that ensued grew excessively more aggravating to watch. Besides that, I would have to say that this film was a huge surprise; the trailer only revealed one piece of a very large, very complicated puzzle.

Also, there were only two things I found to be consistent throughout its long running time: the performances and the atmosphere. Anna Paquin's turn as the troubled yet short-tempered Lisa was the highlight of the movie for me, as it created a character that I loved and related to in one scene, yet could hate the next scene - I think my response to her character was a result of her great acting.

By the end of the movie, Lisa felt like a very real character, someone I could even run into at school. Likewise, the atmosphere was fantastic; I liked how there was time spent just filming Lisa as she walked around the city.

For lack of a better word, these quiet scenes made the film more "complete." Overall, while I found many of Kenneth Lonergan's directorial choices to be a little questionable, I'd have to say that Margaret's pluses outweigh the minuses and it's still a film worth seeing.

It's not a happy one, but it's still certainly a good one.