| Director | Kenneth Lonergan |
|---|---|
| Budget | $14 million |
| Box office | $623,292 |
A 17-year-old Manhattan student, Lisa Cohen, shopping on the Upper West Side, interacts with bus driver Gerald Maretti as she runs alongside his moving bus; he allows himself to become distracted, leading him to fatally strike a pedestrian, Monica Patterson, who subsequently dies in Lisa's arms. Initially, Lisa reports to the police that the driver had a green traffic signal, but later, out of remorse, changes her story.
Lisa has a rocky relationship with her mother Joan, an actress who has recently found success starring in a play. They fight sporadically and Lisa is ambivalent toward Joan's success in theater and her new boyfriend Ramon. Meanwhile, Lisa is in a back-and-forth discussion with her father over an upcoming trip to his home. Lisa's life takes various turns: she involves herself in various vehement debates with classmates about politics and terrorism, decides to lose her virginity to her classmate, Paul, and flirts with her math teacher, Mr. Caije, which later results in them having sex. Much later, she tells him, in the presence of another teacher, that she had an abortion and was not sure who the father was, mentioning there were several possibilities.
Lisa confronts Maretti at his home. He pretends to have forgotten the details of the accident, but later reveals to her in anger that he does remember them, but believes he did nothing wrong. Lisa decides to pursue his firing with passion. Alongside Monica's best friend, Emily, and cousin, Abigail, Lisa ultimately becomes involved in a wrongful death lawsuit against the Metropolitan Transit Authority, seeking the dismissal of Maretti, who has caused two previous accidents, as well as monetary damages, which would be awarded to Abigail as Monica's next of kin.
Lisa and Emily become close, though the friendship is rocky, especially when they later have an argument where Emily accuses Lisa of using the situation to add drama to her life. Lisa, Joan, Emily, and Ramon attend an after show dinner, which ends with Ramon making a remark that Emily perceives as antisemitic. Joan and Ramon have a minor falling out and Ramon dies of a heart attack sometime after.
The lawsuit reaches a conclusion, with an award of $350,000, but the MTA refuses to fire Maretti, out of concern that it would inflame a labor dispute. Abigail claims the settlement offer, revealing the monetary settlement to have been her primary motivation; Lisa becomes very upset and emotionally confesses that she sees herself as Monica's killer.
Lisa and Joan attend an opera that Joan was to see with Ramon before his death. On the way, Lisa sees Maretti driving the same bus that had killed Monica and there is a brief moment where the two see each other. During the opera performance, Lisa begins crying and she and her mother affectionately reconnect, crying together and holding each other as the opera goes on.