This intense film from director Kenneth Lonergan almost didn't make it to theaters due to multiple lawsuits surrounding its original excessive runtime of over 3 1/2 hours, even with the praise of Scorcese, who deemed it "a masterpiece." However, even in its condensed version of 2 1/2 hours, we are given such a deep look into the minds of the characters. The character development is really something of importance for the structure of the film, especially the main character Lisa, played brilliantly by Anna Paquin.
The film centers on Lisa, a young girl who inadvertdently causes a bus accident which ends up killing an innocent woman. Lisa can not seperate herself from the sitauation and goes to great lengths to right the wrongs of the legal system.
While it is a drama concerning this tragic event, it is more so a coming of age story. It shows the oftentimes relentless conviction of Lisa and the whirlwind of her teenage transition into adulthood. Lonergan does this in a way that intertwines what is wrong with the world with what is happening to Lisa and her crazed spiral into insanity over the tragedy. This well developed film is complete with a great cast including Matt Damon, Matthew Broderick, and Mark Ruffalo, to name a few. It definitely is a film worth checking out. It is one that will leave you thinking for days because it addresses so many important issues concerning politics, religion and moral responsibility.
