Review of Margaret (2011) by Ginny L — 03 Aug 2012

(*Note: Review is of Extended Edition) At last, America has its 'true' American Beauty. Everything that so many thought they saw in that superficial 1999 film--more significantly, everything that the rest of us thought rung so false--is found here. MARGARET is a sprawling, jaw-dropping, balls-out masterpiece that is equal parts epic and intimate character piece. Had Lonergan's 183-minute vision not been crushed (and you'll have to find it as the supplementary DVD in the Blu Ray set), Paquin might have a second Oscar on her mantle right now--I'd have to believe she'd at least have garnered a nod for one of the most fully fleshed-out, complex portraits of young adulthood ever committed to screen. Or maybe this is ahead of its time--ironic, as it was filmed in 2005 and covers political and sociological ground that has been well-travled since (but not necessarily any better). Maybe it stands to be appreciated down the line, with a retrograde fondness.

Not for everyone, it is a bit messy, but it is so full of ideas, so passionate and--at its core--deeply, sometimes literally operatic, this edition--AGAIN, NOT THE 150 min CUT--towers over almost anything American cinema has offered in years. It's devastating that no one found it in time to reward it--but exciting to know that people are beginning to slowly discover it. Watch and be wowed.