Margaret

Aroview: Anna Paquin gives a tour de force at the eye of this stormy ensemble drama from dir. Kenneth Lonergan (YOU CAN COUNT ON ME), about the vortex of consequences and events surrounding the death of a woman hit by a bus.

Essentially a portrait of impulsive and self-righteous teenhood with post-9/11 Manhattan as its backdrop, Lonergan ambitiously orbits the lives of numerous characters around Paquin’s self-centred existence – as in her mind, the world literally revolves around her. Granted, some may find the abrupt narrative shifts and gaping plot holes a frustrating hurdle (trapped in post-production limbo for years, the film was initially released severely cut), however, for those willing to treat it on its own terms, the lurching unpredictability of its storytelling uniquely captures the impetuous psychology of its memorable protagonist. On a moment to moment basis, a contemporary drama conducted on a grand and histrionic scale like no other.

NB: This version is the extended 178 minute cut, roughly half-an-hour longer than the original theatrical version.

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