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Blue Car

2003, Movie, R, 87 mins

Blue Car: Review

Writer-director Karen Moncrieff's startlingly strong debut is a poignant drama about an introspective Ohio high-school senior attempting to forge her own identity while her family disintegrates around her. Ever since her parents' separation, 18-year-old Meg (Agnes Bruckner) has been channeling her complicated feelings about her absent father into the poems she writes for her advanced placement English class. Impressed by Meg's obvious talent, her teacher (David Strathairn) encourages her to enter a poetry contest, but the lines separating teacher from student are soon blurred and betrayed. Writer-director Karen Moncrieff's debut made a strong impression at Sundance, but was virtually ignored when it finally hit theaters. Go figure: It's a razor-sharp, unromantic take on female adolescence that cuts right to the bone. Agnes Bruckner gives an electrifying performance as Meg, a high-school girl who lives with her struggling single mom (Margaret Colin) and a younger sister (Regan Arnold) who can't cope with their father's abandonment. Meg's only outlets are her poetry and an increasingly inappropriate relationship with her married English teacher (David Strathairn). Fans of My So-Called Life will love it. Read the complete review for Blue Car