Kevin Spacey in Margin Call
Nate von Zumwalt, Editorial Coordinator
Leading up to the 84th edition of the Academy Awards this Sunday, February 26, we’re profiling all seven of this year’s Sundance-supported Oscar nominees. Click here for the full list of nominees.
Margin Call, written by J.C. Chandor
J.C. Chandor’s anxiety-ridden Wall Street drama belies his relatively light filmmaking résumé. Margin Call boasts an enthralling ensemble cast (Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Stanley Tucci) and a daunting premise tucked into a script that thrills without sacrificing plausibility—all courtesy of first-time director, Chandor. Equally smart and pertinent, the film follows a team of shot callers at a fictitious investment bank (although loosely modeled on Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns) as a series of momentous events unravel at the onset of the 2008 financial crisis. Margin Call expertly probes a complex financial world at its most fragile moments, all the while examining the professional, personal, and moral obligations of those involved.
- Nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 2012 Academy Awards
- Margin Call screened in the Premieres section of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival
- This is J.C. Chandor’s first feature-length film.
- The all-star cast features Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Stanley Tucci, and Demi Moore.
