Margaret

Margaret (2011) is an American drama written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan — watch online on iFILM. Shot in 2005, the film spent six years trapped in post-production disputes before reaching audiences, which became part of its legend.

Seventeen-year-old Lisa distracts a bus driver for a moment. A woman dies at the crosswalk. The police file it as an accident; Lisa cannot let it go. She pushes everyone — her mother, her teachers, the driver, a lawyer she barely knows — with an intensity that keeps crossing the line into cruelty. Anna Paquin carries nearly every scene of the 150-minute runtime. Mark Ruffalo, Jean Reno, Kieran Culkin and Matt Damon round out a cast that makes even its smaller roles count.

Lonergan is not interested in easy vindication or tidy grief. What he made is a film about the gap between moral certainty and the messiness of actual people — and it stays uncomfortable all the way through. Not an easy watch. Stream Margaret (2011) on iFILM.