Themes: Teachers and Students, Authority Figures, Families in Crisis
Main Cast: Agnes Bruckner, David Strathairn, Margaret Colin, Frances Fisher, Regan Arnold
Release Year: 2002
Country: US
Run Time: 96 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
The coming-of-age drama Blue Car is the directorial debut feature from actress Karen Moncrieff. Played by newcomer Agnes Bruckner, quiet high school student Meg lives in an apartment complex where she takes care of her troubled little sister, Lily (Regan Arnold), while her emotionally unavailable mom (Margaret Colin) is busy at work or school. Since her dad left, the family has been under financial strain and Lily suffers from starvation, delusions, and self mutilation. Meg maintains a calm demeanor and endures her responsibilities but unleashes her frustrations and pain through her poems, which she shares with her supportive English teacher, Mr. Auster (David Strathairn). With his encouragement, she wins a regional poetry competition and makes it to the finals in Florida. However, she is faced with repeating hardships as her sister's condition intensifies, she gets fired for stealing, and her mom kicks her out of the house. Temporarily staying with her friend Georgia (Sarah Beuhler), she meets the delinquent Pat (A.J. Buckley) and gets involved in some petty crime. Agnes eventually goes to Florida by herself, where she meets Mr. Auster's intelligent yet discontented wife, Delia (Frances Fisher), and she finds her relationship with him becoming more complicated. Blue Car premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Review
A grittily realistic drama, Blue Car is as downbeat as it is honest about adolescent abandonment and the desperate need for connection. Though the story is made up of conventional elements, all the unglamorous truth hangs out and the emotional turns are warranted by the solid script and nuanced performances. In her breakthrough performance as Meg, Agnes Bruckner is the embodiment of understated teenage pain. The role of a high school poet is often made into a caricature, but Bruckner brings a raw honesty and apprehension to the part that avoids overwrought stereotypes. Veteran actor David Strathairn also hits the right note in the difficult role of Mr. Auster; their scenes together in the classroom are carefully observed with nervous details and real teacher-student interaction. With her ragged fingernails and glassy composure, Meg shows incredible strength in reserve by constructing her identity from the scraps left around her. Her search for connectedness is a sincere one, and each devastating experience seems to attest her tenacity. The ethereal soundtrack by Adam Gorgoni skillfully reflects the intimate nature of the story, especially during the reflective second half. After all of the dark abandonment and betrayal she endures, the conclusion at the final poetry competition reveals a cathartic personal victory. Though the subject matter could've been mistreated by other filmmakers, Blue Car is handled with care and enough concern to get all the bleak details right. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
A.J. Buckley - Pat; Sarah Beuhler - Georgia; Amy Benedict - Diner Waitress; Peer J. Oppenheimer - Diner Customer; Kristan Andrews - Florida Oasis Cocktail Waitress; Greg Miller - Priest; Mike Ward - Meg's Father; Wendy Lardin - Georgia's Mom; Michael Raysses - Mr. Kastran; Dustin Sterling - Rob; Wayne Armstrong - Don; Dan Buran - Cop; David Carroll - Department Store Manager; Jacqueline Childs - Pharmacist; Jeff Gage - Pawn Shop Owner; Jane Mowder - Nurse; Jenn O'nofrio - Blonde Girl; Aftab Pureval - Boy in Class; Jaime Scheingross - Girl in the Yellow Dress; Julie Schuster - Bank Teller
Credit
Don Daniel - Associate Producer, Kelly Simpson - Associate Producer, John Mays - Associate Producer, Jake Keslo - Boom Operator, Leonard Suwalski - Boom Operator, Wendy Weidman - Casting, Dan Edelstein - Consultant/advisor, Eric Karten - Co-producer, Gene Viglione - Co-producer, Kristan Andrews - Costume Designer, Mike Snyder - First Assistant Director, Matt Corrado - First Assistant Director, Karen Moncrieff - Director, Toby Yates - Editor, Keri Clemmons - Hair Styles, Deleah Emery - Hair Styles, Brian Hall - Location Manager, John Mays - Location Manager, Karri O'Reilly - Line Producer, Adam Gorgoni - Composer (Music Score), Stephen Coleman - Musical Direction/Supervision, Keri Clemmons - Makeup, Deleah Emery - Makeup, Josh McEwon - Makeup Special Effects, Kristan Andrews - Production Designer, Rob Sweeney - Cinematographer, John Goodwill - Production Manager, Karri O'Reilly - Production Manager, Peer J. Oppenheimer - Producer, Amy Sommer Gifford - Producer, David Waters - Producer, Ryan Holmes - Sound Mixer, Ted Blaisdell - Sound Mixer, Mark Ferrell - Sound Mixer, Ted Blaisdell - Sound/Sound Designer, Karen Moncrieff - Screenwriter, Melissa Zaroff - Additional Editing, Kelly Uchimura - First Assistant Camera, Skip McCraw - Gaffer, Scott Lipez - Grip, Andy Waruszewski - Grip, John Mays - Key Grip, Stephen Schwartz - Music Editor, Adam Gorgoni - Music Producer, Eric Karten - Music Producer, Matthew Turner - Production Coordinator, Merje Veski - Properties Master, Reilly Steele - Re-Recording Mixer, Peter Waggoner - Re-Recording Mixer, Mario Manti-Gualtiero - Re-Recording Mixer, Cynthia Garfield - Script Supervisor, Amy Holliday - Script Supervisor, Adeeb Hammoudi - Second Assistant Director, Jasmine Waters - Second Assistant Director, Mic Mahan - Sound Effects Director, Chris Bittner - ADR Editor, Mario Manti-Gualtiero - ADR Editor, Tammy Mount - Assistant Hair, Tammy Mount - Assistant Makeup, Kevin Kramer - Assistant Production Coordinator, Russ Faust - Best Boy Electric, Cesar Toledo - Best Boy Electric, Kevin Jones - Best Boy Grip, Frankie Martinez - Best Boy Grip, Melanie Smith - Camera Loader, Kevin Carr - Casting Assistant, Gail Ramsey - Casting Assistant, Josh McEwon - Costumes Supervisor, Mario Manti-Gualtiero - Dialogue Editor, Chris Cochran - Electrician, Danny Flores - Electrician, Kevin Martt - Electrician, Alison Maier - Extra Casting, Craig Ng - Foley Artist, Chris Bittner - Foley Editor, Mario Manti-Gualtiero - Foley Editor, Noor Ahmed - Personal Assistant, Kevin Myers - Personal Assistant, Ian Axilrod - Second Assistant Camera, Justin Pointer - Second Assistant Camera, Jeremy Burks - Second Second Assistant Director, Deleah Emery - Second Second Assistant Director, Mike O'Neill - Set Dresser, Michele Lockert - Set Dresser, Dave Bogrees - Set Production Assistant, Karisa Darling - Set Production Assistant, Diana Scott - Set Production Assistant, Domenica Vilhotti - Set Production Assistant, Joy Walsh - Set Production Assistant, Chris Bittner - Foley Mixer, Lori Ann Agricola - Swing Gang, Johnny Ramos - Swing Gang, John Breinholt - Assistant Editor, Matt Solomon - Assistant Editor
A gifted 18-year-old named Megan has been abandoned by her father and soon neglected by her mother. Her mother has been working hard and long lately because she needs the money to support herself and children. Her dad doesn't pay child support often which causes money problems.
Lily, Meg's younger sister, has serious mental problems, and we find out that she has been starving herself because she wants to become an angel. After being checked into the psychiatric ward of a hospital, Lily finally kills herself by jumping out of an open window as she tries to "fly". Meg continues to find solace in her English teacher, who claims he is passionate about writing his novel. Her English teacher becomes a comfort and a father figure to her through Meg's troubled times, and finally he encourages her to join a poetry contest.
A relationship soon develops between Meg and her teacher, and soon she allows her teacher to sleep with her. It is only after this incident that Meg, looking on the top of a desk, realizes that her teacher has, in fact, not written a novel at all, and all of this was a way for Meg's teacher to get the one thing he wanted from her. There is a melancholy mood throughout the entire movie until Meg finally decides to live with her father, and she enters his blue car, still not sure of what to do.
Cast
Agnes Bruckner as Megan Denning. Megan has been abandoned by her father and neglected by her hardworking mother. Her English teacher convinces her that she is gifted in poetry and starts to use poetry to build herself up.
David Strathairn as Auster. Auster is an English teacher who helps out Meg as she is finding family life difficult. As their relationship builds up, together things get more complex.
