Lonergan's MARGARET Released Today

Margaret, written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, will finally get a theatrical release on September 30.  It originally was scheduled for release in 2007 by Fox Searchlight, but was continuously delayed while Lonergan struggled to create a final cut he was satisfied with, resulting in multiple court cases. The movie stars Anna Paquin and Matt Damon.

The story revolves around a 17-year-old New York City high school student named Lisa Cohen (Anna Paquin), who may have contributed to a bus accident in Manhattan's Upper West Side. Lisa's mother, Joan (played by Lonergan's wife, J. Smith-Cameron), is a single mom grappling with parenting and her acting career. A sexually active teen, Lisa inappropriately flirts with one of her teachers (Matt Damon) while arguing with her classmates about the Middle East. Lisa ultimately becomes involved in a legal action against the bus operator (Mark Ruffalo). The film's title comes from the Margaret in the poem "Spring and Fall: To a Young Child" by 19th century poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, briefly alluded to in one of Lisa's classrooms.

Lonergan's first theatrical success came with the play This is Our Youth (1996); it was followed by The Waverley Gallery (1999), based on his grandmother's Greenwich Village Gallery, and later Lobby Hero (2002). Lonergan's film career began with his screenplay for the gangland comedy Analyze This (1999). He was subsequently offered a job writing The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000).

Lonergan directed his own screenplay for You Can Count on Me (2000); the film, which was executive produced by Martin Scorsese, went on to be nominated for and receive numerous writing awards; he went on to contribute to the screenplay for Gangs of New York (2002). 

 

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