Hello readers,
Today’s post has been written by my very special guest writer, Terry! We went to see the film Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret at a rooftop cinema and Terry had the following thoughts:
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (2023)
The film follows titular sixth-grader Margaret Simon, and her friends and family as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery while navigating all the trials and tribulations that follow. The film is based on eponymous novel by Judy Blume, which was published in 1970, the era in which the film is set as well – consequently many of its elements were definitely ahead of their time. Specifically, in exploring many important themes such as: friendship, religious pressure and tolerance, interfaith marriage, atheism, societal expectations (i.e. being a working mother versus staying at home), puberty, as well as the rush to grow up along with all the pressures young kids put on themselves and each other in reaching certain milestones before being ready or even truly understanding what it all means.
Book-to-film adaptations can be a tricky business and balancing act, changing too much of the source material risks alienating fans and losing many elements of what made the original special and beloved (i.e. the Percy Jackson films). Such is why many say, ‘the book is always better than the movie’. So, it’s fortunate then the author herself has claimed the adaptation is better than her book. While I’ve personally never read any of Blume’s novels I’ve always known who she is and some of the themes she likes exploring, so I can say I was genuinely excited to watch this film. The main reason being the author’s stamp of approval (it’s always a good sign when an adaptation has the author’s support), others including the cast and the subject matter.
The catalyst for the film’s plot and Margaret’s journey is the Simon family’s move from a flat in New York to a suburb in New Jersey after her father is granted a prosperous promotion. This advancement doesn’t only turn Margaret’s world upside-down but inspires her mother Barbara to abandon her hobby of painting and job as an art teacher. Margaret is confused as to why her mother would quit a job that she loves so much, but Barbara claims she is excited to finally have the free time to spend with her and to help out on the school PTA ‘like all the other moms’.
However, Margaret gradually becomes more independent with this life change, especially after being welcomed into an existing friend group at her new school. Her new friends, in their rush to become grown-up and ‘mature’, introduce Margaret to the world of: first crushes, preteen parties, rumours and gossip, while also awakening her urgency to fulfil certain milestones and rite of passages. Including but not limited to: finally getting her period, wearing a bra, and having her first kiss.
Additionally, Margaret’s teacher Mr. Benedict stimulates her curiosity in regard to religion and her own family when he suggests she do a report on her unique (for the time) perspective of coming from a multifaith household. In the sense that Barbara is Christian and was brought up by very devout parents, whilst Margaret’s father Herb and his family are Jewish.
Nowadays a ‘mixed marriage’ like this wouldn’t raise as many eyebrows as it did back then, but for Barbara marrying Herb meant her family saw fit to disown her and cut off all contact. This horrifying rejection is partly what steered Margaret’s parents in choosing to raise her without a religion, with the intention that she choose for herself when she is old enough. While their reasons were noble, and certainly understandable given the circumstances of the situation, an unintended consequence is a feeling of confusion and alienation Margaret struggles with since religion is almost a taboo subject in their family. But even then Margaret is not fully free from religious pressures. Her loving paternal grandmother Sylvia wants her to ultimately decide to become Jewish, whereas her parents seem to hope that in the end she won’t favour any religion. Barbara, perhaps due to the understandable trauma her parents left her with, goes as far to vehemently disapprove and actively discourage Margaret’s religious curiosity. While Herb doesn’t stand in her way he similarly hopes their daughter will gradually lose interest in religion if they don’t force ‘neutrality’ on her.
Despite the feeling of being pulled in numerous directions, and confusion about how and why religion is so powerful in dividing people, Margaret has her own private relationship with God, and reaches out often throughout the film (hence the title). God acts as somewhat of an impartial confidant for Margaret, who habitually prays for guidance and her family’s wellbeing; but also asks for help in reaching/achieving the milestones that her friends introduced her to. In a particularly vulnerable moment Margaret mentally asks God, “Why do I only feel you when I’m alone?”
Although I can’t compare the film’s characters to their novelistic counterparts, I feel like everyone was perfectly cast and subsequently the acting was very good. I was familiar with the young actress playing Margaret, Abby Ryder Fortson, from her portrayal of Cassie Lang in the first two Ant-Man films; and she has definitely come into her own with her well-deserved protagonist placement. Additionally, I’m familiar with Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates’ work and feel they were perfectly cast as, respectively, Margaret’s mother and grandmother.
Something my friend and I discussed after watching was how cool it was to see a film where a girl Margaret’s age is the protagonist, and she deals with all the relatable experiences that she goes through. Most rite of passage films exploring female characters show them in high school, university or in a first job. When it comes to Margaret’s age group films focused on them is still quite unusual and unique unless the genre is adventure, science-fiction or fantasy, which somewhat undercuts the more realistic moments – i.e. The Goonies, E.T. or Stranger Things, and even then there are more male characters than female. While Finding Ohana (2021) features a young girl as the protagonist, the film has more in common with The Goonies than it does with Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Furthermore, the film ever so effortlessly passes the Bechdel test more than once as Margaret has many conversations with her friends and the women in her family about varying topics. For anyone unfamiliar the Bechdel test is a 3-rule test. In order to pass it a work of fiction must 1) feature at least two named female characters, 2) who have a conversation, 3) about a topic not about a man. The fact that Are You there, God? It’s me, Margaret passes the Bechdel is refreshing as it continues being an important tool in gauging female representation in works of fiction, especially when so many media forms fail it (seemingly without even trying).
My only gripes with the film that stop it from being perfect is, even though it did accomplish many of the beats it set out to, it still felt as though there were some loose ends. For example, we don’t see how Margaret makes up with a friend she fought with or find out whether Barbara finally makes amends with her parents. Moreover, I also would have liked to see more interactions with Margaret and her crush Moose, who was a little side-lined throughout the feature (although apparently he was even less of a presence in the book). Despite this, all in all the film was a success. While being set in the 70s it had more diversity than you’d expect, additionally the comedic moments in the film help in lightening the overall tone in regard to all the dramatic scenes. To boot, the film would’ve been impossible to make when the book was first published since the topics such as interfaith marriage, puberty and periods were especially controversial back then, but fortunately with films such as Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret (where they are on full display) these topics are starting to become less and less stigmatised for the next generation.
Terry rates the film as 4/5
Look out for future reviews from special guest writers…
Happy Watching,
Robyn
