Blue Car

Running time: N/A

Director Karen Moncrieff's provocative new film, Blue Car, is a tragically and skillfully woven tale of heartbreak and rapidly fading innocence. Seventeen-year-old Meg, neglected by her overworked mother and responsible for her troubled younger sister, yearns for her father-who abandoned the family years ago-to come back and drive her away in his car to a world free from cares and problems. As an emotional outlet, Meg writes incredibly poignant poetry, which catches the eye of her teacher, Mr. Auster (David Strathairn). Immediately recognizing Meg's gift, Mr. Auster enters her work in a national poetry contest. As a bond develops between mentor and student, Meg finds the fatherly guidance for which she's yearned. As the contest finals approach, however, events occur that not only affect Auster and Meg's relationship but also the course of Meg's life. Agnes Bruckner strikingly portrays the confusion, determination, and resilience of a teenager trying to come to grips with a life that does not fit her dreams. Director Moncrieff artfully handles this coming-of-age story to give us an intelligent and sensitive teen for whom we not only root in the competition but also in the deeper conflicts of her life. Reviewed by Sandy Wolf