Blue Car

It's always nice to come across a little gem of a film like this one is. The characters are crafted so well that there is nary a false note in the entire piece. The dynamics between the daughter (Meg) and her mother, Meg and her sister, and Meg and her teacher all ring true; at times painfully so. As things so often occur in real life, this was no neat little package of events and resolutions but characters stumbling through situations making good and bad decisions and coming out on the other side having learned something from their experiences.

Why can't everyone write like this! Kudos to Karen Moncrief for showing such great respect for her audience. I hope you have many more opportunities to add to your writing and directing resume. I've seen tons of films and very few of them are standouts. This is one of them.

It's always gratifying to see an independent film that tackles a thorny subject, knowing well that any of the major studios won't dare to sponsor any director who is original and has a different way to present the story. Such is the case with Karen Moncrieff, a courageous new voice who is a first time director working with her own material.

The idea that school is a safe haven for the innocent, is the subject to this film. Meghan who comes from a recently broken home can't accept the idea of her parents living apart. When in school, she looks up to a male role model, perhaps trying to fill that void in her life. At the beginning of the film Ms. Moncrieff steers us into thinking one way, when in reality she wants to tell us there is another side to the apparently kind man who takes Meghan under his wing.

As we have witnessed by the recent wave of revelations of sexual impropriety in the Catholic Church, there are people that tend to go to jobs where they can prey on unsuspecting young minds, only to satisfy their own sick desires. The film is an eye opener for any impressionable young person into believing these people that befriend them don't have ulterior motives.

Agnes Bruckner, as young Meghan makes an excellent appearance in the movie. Equally effective is David Strathairn, as the teacher. This actor is always a welcome addition to any film. Margaret Colin, as the mother, gives a painful characterization as Diane, who must make ends meet and has her feet on the ground. Frances Fisher, is the jaded teacher's wife who has seen her husband get involved with other young girls before.

Ms. Moncrieff is a talent to watch.

I've visited IMDb frequently in the past and have voted on over 250 films, but the previous comments regarding this film compel me to write my first review. "Blue Car" is, like most films, not without its flaws, but its strengths make it, in my opinion, one of the best American indie films I've seen for quite some time.

"Blue Car" is a movie that lacks clear villains; its characters are imperfect people who sometimes make the wrong decisions. I read a flattering review before seeing the movie, which I later regretted... The review gave away just enough to make me anticipate the film's climax and resolution, a reason why I have decided to remain conspicuously vague here.

The film is about Meg Denning (sp?), a troubled high school student whose poetry impresses her AP English teacher. Meg is still struggling to overcome the emotional abandonment she experienced after her father left. Her sister is likewise depressed and refuses to eat. Her mother is preoccupied with her job and night school. I realize these issues have been dealt with so thoroughly by Disney and Hollywood hacks that they have almost become cliche. Nevertheless, the fact that these situations are relatively commonplace make the story more plausible. The dialogue never degenerates into the pathetic sentimentalism one expects from Spielberg... The dialogue is robust -- the film's characters are dealt with fairly and realistically.

At the suggestion of her English teacher, Meg enters a poetry contest... As Meg's family problems are compounded by subsequent events, she begins to rely increasingly on her AP English teacher for encouragement, emotional support, and self-affirmation...And then, being as vague as possible, complex situations emerge... :o)

Every character in the film has sympathetic qualities. You might not agree with the decisions they make, and some of their actions might even disturb you...But in this age of simpleminded, dualistic rhetoric, when politicians talk about Good and Evil as though life were an episode of "He-Man," "Blue Car" is a refreshing film filled with characters who occupy the grey void lurking between black and white.

The film is not perfect. Certain events occur involving Meg's sister Lily, which are pivotal to the movie. I'm not that fond of how the film deals with Lily's emotional troubles, and facts surrounding the culmination of Lily's troubles are, in my mind, highly questionable. (Sorry. I can't be more specific without ruining the movie. If you see it, you'll probably know what I'm talking about.) These minor flaws are well worth overlooking.

Unfortunately, film as an industry is as white-male dominated as the field of theoretical physics -- perhaps even more so. It is sad indeed that the greatest living female director is probably Leni Riefenstahl, the despicable opportunist whose masterpieces include "Triumph of the Will."

That being the case, Karen Moncrieff's debut comes as a relief. She has proven herself to be a talented, insightful, up-and-coming director whose career will be worth keeping an eye on. Overall, I give the film a 9.

BLUE CAR (2003) **** David Strathairn, Agnes Bruckner, Margaret Colin, Frances Fisher, A.J. Buckley, Regan Arnold, Sarah Beuhler, Dustin Sterling, Mike Ward. Excellent indie festival hit about a teenage girl (Bruckner in a heartbreakingly raw turn) whose only solace from her crumbling domestic life is in her gift as a poet is mentored by her well-meaning but clearly coercive English teacher (Strathairn in one of his best performances) who goads her into a contest. First time filmmaker Karen Moncrieff delivers a truly audacious debut with a gift for character development and strong narrative as well as a shrewd cast (Colin gives her best turn too as Bruckner's downward spiraling mom and young Arnold as her baby sister is absolutely stunning) adds a lift above the norm in coming-of-age flicks that resonates with pitch-perfect depictions of a young woman coming into her own. One of the year's best films.

Ah, the romantic enigma that is the English teacher. Only Hollywood could bring these bookworms into the heroic light usually reserved for legendary leaders and men of action. Look at Robin Williams in "Dead Poets Society" and you'll find the prime example of this species. A man who moves throughout his classroom spouting lines of inspiration as important as any presidential address. A voice who encourages his students to embrace their independence and seize the day.

Now meet David Strathairn as Auster in "Blue Car". A man who actually looks and acts like the disheveled English teacher you had in high school. An inspiration only to those too lost and vulnerable to find it elsewhere. Like Meg - an 18 year old girl whose gift for poetry is the only good thing to emerge from an otherwise miserable life.

Played by Agnes Bruckner in a brilliantly understated performance, Meg writes about what she knows. And, unfortunately for her, all she knows is pain. The pain of her parent's divorce and the abandonment she felt when her father drove away for one last time in his blue car. While her classmates laugh at her poem, her teacher pulls her aside and tells her to "dig deeper". At first, it appears he may be trying to further untap her hidden talent, and help her to begin a kind of healing process. But, as he takes her under his wing, his motives seem to grow less noble and more selfish as it appears he is the one in need of healing.

Writer/Director Karen Moncrieff takes on an obvious point of view for the film. In every scene, we can't help but connect with Meg. Everyone seems to want a piece of her. From her mother to a passing acquaintance with a true delinquent, we watch as they befriend her and then cast her aside after she fufills their need. After a while, you just sit back and begin to wonder how much more of this she can take.

It should come as no surprise then that the relationship she nurtures is the one with Auster. In her mind, he can be all things for her - mentor, friend, lover, and most of all, father. It is her changing view of him that anchors the film and, when she finally sees him for what he is, leads her to an ending we can only hope will be better for her.

Rating [on a 5 star system] : 3 1/2 stars