Blue Car (2002)

A troubled young woman is encouraged by a teacher to enter a poetry contest.

Director:

Karen Moncrieff

Writer:

Karen Moncrieff

Stars:

David Strathairn, Agnes Bruckner, Margaret Colin

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Strathairn	...	Auster
Agnes Bruckner	...	Megan Denning (Meg)
Margaret Colin	...	Diane
Frances Fisher	...	Delia
A.J. Buckley	...	Pat
Regan Arnold	...	Lily
Sarah Buehler	...	Georgia
Dustin Sterling	...	Rob
Michael Joseph Thomas Ward	...	Dad (as Mike Ward)
Wayne Armstrong	...	Don
Aftab Pureval	...	Boy in Class
Wendy Lardin	...	Georgia's Mom
Jenn O'nofrio	...	Blonde Girl
Michael Raysses	...	Mr. Kastran
Amy Benedict	...	Diner Waitress

Storyline

Gifted 18-year-old Meg has been abandoned by her father and neglected by her hardworking mother. Left to care for her emotionally disturbed younger sister, her world begins to unravel. She finds an outlet in writing poetry and support from her English teacher, Mr. Auster. But what started out as a mentoring relationship begins to get a bit more complex.

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Plot Keywords:

poetry | contest | f rated | teenage girl | refusing to eat | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes it takes a journey to find yourself.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 May 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

A kék autó

Filming Locations:

Colonel White High School - 501 Niagara Avenue, Dayton, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$30,087, 4 May 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$464,126, 20 July 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Peer Oppenheimer Production Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min 88 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was edited on an Apple Macintosh Computer with "Final Cut Pro" and "Cinema Tools" software.

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Goofs

When Mr. Auster is standing on the beach talking to Meg, his collar alternates between straightened and not straightened.

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Quotes

[after looking over her poem]
Auster: Okay... you tell me.
Meg: I don't know.
Auster: Why not? Are you afraid I'm going to tell you your work stinks?
Meg: Does it?
Auster: What do you think?
Meg: Probably. I don't know.
Auster: Come back when you do.
[rises, starts to leave]
Meg: It doesn't stink. There's a line that I like.
[...]

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Connections

Featured in The 2004 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (2004)

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Soundtracks

Harvest Moon
Written and Performed by Mick Mahan
(c) 1998 Octave Below Music (BMI)

User Reviews

Great piece of screen writing.

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.