Margaret is a film by Kenneth Lonergan that was made in 2007 starring Matt Damon, Anna Paquin, Mark Ruffalo, and Matthew Broderick. But chances are you have never heard of it. Why is this? Why would a film from a respected filmmaker and boasting a highly recognizable cast go unnoticed?
Well, the reason you likely have neither heard of nor seen this film is because it has gone unreleased in the five years since it originally filmed. In the time between, the film’s lengthy and problematic post-production was riddled with false starts, missed deadlines, shuffling editors, and two major lawsuits. The tribulations arose from the lengthy editing process and, like everything else in Hollywood, money. In 2009, the film was actually deemed “unreleasable” and ultimately dead.
First off, Lonergan had final cut-approval in his contract which granted him nearly unlimited power in crafting the film’s finished product. But several years and multiple missed release dates caused the studio (Fox Searchlight) and financiers to get very anxious. Numerous big name directors and editors – like Martin Scorsese, Sydney Pollack, Scott Rudin, and Thelma Schoonmaker – were consulted in the editing room. Then, when funds ran dry, Matthew Broderick, a close friend of Lonergan and star of the film, contributed money that allowed them to keep working. Finally, early last year the film was ultimately completed, in large part by Scorsese and his longtime editor Schoonmaker, and Lonergan approved a theatrical release cut.
So after years of uncertainty, Margaret actually hit theatres late last year on a very limited basis. The film was met with more curiosity than praise, though it did garner plenty of the latter as well. It even received a bit of award season chatter, especially for star Anna Paquin, but was ultimately shut out of the major shows.
Margaret is about a young woman witnesses a bus accident, and is caught up in the aftermath, where the question of whether or not it was intentional affects many people's lives.
The film centers on a 17-year-old NYC high-school student who feels certain that she inadvertently played a role in a traffic accident that 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.
Watch the trailer for the film posted in the VIDEO box on the left side of the article.
In addition to Paquin, Damon, Ruffalo, and Broderick, the film also stars Jean Reno, Allison Janney, Keiran Culkin, Olivia Thirlby, and Rosemarie DeWitt. Writer/director Kenneth Lonergan last directed the praised, but underrated You Can Count on Me (2000), in addition to writing other such acclaimed films like Gangs of New York and Analyze This.
Margaret has trickled out to theaters around the country, and now, thanks to the New Orleans Film Society, the film is coming to New Orleans. The screening will be held Friday, February 24 at the Robert E. Nims Theatre at the UNO Performing Arts Center (2000 Lake Shore Drive) at 7:00 pm.
The screening isFREE, but available only to NOFS members and UNO students/faculty. Attendees must present a valid NOFS membership card or UNO ID for admission. Seating is limited and is first come, first served.
*I will keep you posted if there is any other chance for the general public to see the film in the New Orleans area.
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