Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023)
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A young girl navigating the complexities of puberty and religious identity moves from New York to New Jersey.
The story
In 1970, 11-year-old Margaret Simon is informed by her parents that they are moving from New York City to a New Jersey suburb. Upset about leaving her friends and her grandmother, Margaret begins communicating with God about her concerns, anxieties, and hopes. Upon moving to New Jersey, she is befriended by a neighbor, Nancy Wheeler, and joins a new friend group. As the school year begins, Margaret is tasked with a research project on religion. Because her mother is a Christian and her father is Jewish, she is left to decide on her own religious identity, a journey complicated by her family's history and her own growing awareness of the changes of puberty.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1970, 11-year-old Margaret Simon moves from New York City to a New Jersey suburb. While struggling with the move, she communicates with God about her anxieties. She meets new friends, Nancy, Gretchen, and Janie, and begins a school project on religion. Her mother, Barbara, is estranged from her devoutly Christian parents, while Margaret's grandmother, Sylvia, is Jewish. During the school year, Margaret experiences the milestones of puberty, including a first kiss with Philip Leroy and the anticipation of her first period. She also navigates a complicated friendship with a classmate, Laura, who is ostracized for developing early. The tension peaks when Margaret's maternal grandparents visit; a heated argument erupts among the adults over her religious future, leading Margaret to declare she doesn't care about religion. She eventually submits a research paper expressing her disillusionment with faith. By the end of the year, she reconciles with her family and finds a new friendship with Laura. Before summer camp, Margaret discovers she has started her period and shares the news with her mother, before resuming her communication with God.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 106
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Kelly Fremon Craig
- Writers
- Kelly Fremon Craig · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Abby Ryder Fortson · Margaret; Rachel McAdams · mother; Elle Graham; Benny Safdie; Kathy Bates
- Genres
- comedy-drama; coming-of-age
- Themes
- coming-of-age; religious identity; puberty; family dynamics
- Tone and mood
- comedy-drama; realistic
- Premise and plot tags
- faith; adolescence; period drama; based on a novel
- Source material / true-story basis
- the 1970 novel by Judy Blume
- Content notes
- language
- Reception
- The film received mostly positive reviews and was praised for being a faithful adaptation that fleshed out its adult characters.
- Reported review scores
- CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 88%
- Production trivia
- The film was originally scheduled to be released on September 16, 2022.; The score was composed by Hans Zimmer.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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