Directed by: Kelly Fremon Craig
Written by: Kelly Fremon Craig
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Abby Ryder Fortson, Elle Graham, Benny Safdie, Kathy Bates
Rating: [4.5/5]
One’s relationship with their God has always been a personal one but yet goes through the inherent perversion of those seeking to demand control. A particular control centered on ensuring others follow their specific religion as opposed to that individual, specifically kids, finding what they personally believe. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret wonderfully explores this journey of discovery in one’s own faith that also doubles as such a beautiful coming of age tale that truly took me aback with its wholehearted earnestness.
Distraught at having to start over because of her family moving from New York to the New Jersey suburbs, Margaret Simon (Abby Ryder Fortson) does not like holidays because of the religious trauma her parents experienced. They have left her to decide what faith she wants to practice, if any, and this leads her down the path of attending various services as she continually tries to talk to God and continues to go through the early stages of puberty.
As we all know, puberty enacts plenty of change for a child physically, but also their esteem as their care for how their peers view them as opposed to their parents reaches its all-time high. This film walks the balance of displaying all the messiness that comes with this change with the larger undercurrent of Margaret deciphering the various religions out there and where she finds the perfect fit for her. Quite the journey to happen concurrently for a child, but Kelly Fremon Craig wonderfully weaves it all together to emphasize the sweetness of the famous story she’s adapting and digging into some hefty topics with the softest of touches.
While we go through this journey with Margaret, we also get the pain that her mother, Barbara (Rachel McAdams), undergoes in this new scenery in trying to represent the perfect PTA-involved mother in addition to her own trauma regarding religion. The stark difference in their experiences displays polar opposites in regard to tolerance Barbara experienced in her life as opposed to what she offers her own daughter. Barbara goes through her own journey of self-realization that allows for Rachel McAdams to give such a heartbreakingly sweet performance as this mother. While living in a perfectly happy marriage and life she has built for herself, she still carries this fear regarding religion, for reasons revealed later in the film. The scene where Barbara shares exactly why they do not associate with her parents displays McAdams’s stunning work at its finest.
However, this film remains Margaret’s story in going through puberty, her resolution in finding a religion that resonates with her, and all that comes with it. Moving to New Jersey, she makes friends with Nancy Wheeler (Elle Graham) and her group, where they discuss many things as they enter puberty. Stretching from crushes on boys, hoping to get their first kiss, getting their period, I imagine this aspect carries plenty of relatability to girls who have also experienced the preteen years and all the awkwardness that comes from it. This group of girls have such a charming support for each other and their exercises to get the bodies they want are genuinely hilarious, which all stems from this rush to reach adulthood all teens go through. They hope to skip past this awkward stage of their lives and every second of it is endearing.
With all the sweetness involved in the puberty journey, the one Margaret goes on regarding her religious beliefs sits right at the center of what makes this story and the novel that inspired it so special. This element gets plenty of shine in the way Margaret opens up her mind to various religions and speaks to God, hoping and wishing to receive the direction she seeks. She sees the power religion has to offer to those who need it with the unity it brings, but then also harsh negatives and how the purity of it gets stripped out by those who practice it. We see this in the most innocent and directly harmful, as depicted by her grandparents on both sides of her family. The conversations she has with God with her prayer, even while being unsure what she really believes about this higher being display this overall innocence and sweetness associated with anyone who forms a direct relationship with God. A direct line not altered by those with their own aims that allow for humor and sincerity in equal measure.
Entering the feature filmmaking scene with Edge of Seventeen and now this film Kelly Fremon Craig has proven herself as quite the savant in the coming of age genre. She takes the famous material by Judy Blume and brings it to life in the most beautiful ways. Setting this during the 1970s obviously makes it feel retro, even with the topic at hand losing none of its relevance even today. Even with the heavy topics spoken about Craig maintains this warmth throughout that makes this journey for Margaret the one Barbara would prefer. Each of these characters exude the abundance of love held for each other, especially within Margaret’s familial unit, further solidifying the feel-good nature of this film. Craig has certainly found her niche and I hope she continues to tell even more stories.
Making it impossible to walk away from it without a big smile, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret lights up the screen with its earnestness but also a willingness to portray a raw look at puberty and finding one’s religious beliefs. Everything about his familial unit warms the heart and demonstrates what each person should experience in trying to decipher their own relationship with God.
Films with Josh 
