Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret

Kelly Fremon Craig made a beloved debut, "The Edge of Seventeen," then she waited almost ten years to make a follow-up. That's because she needed to find a story that seemed urgent; she wasn't going to write sentences just for the sake of writing sentences.

"Are You There, God," is partly the story of a little girl, Margaret, but it's equally the story of Margaret's mother, Barbara. A New Yorker and artist, Barbara suddenly finds she has shed both of these identities in a move to New Jersey. Barbara masks her discomfort -- but it's evident in her failure to buy furniture, her strained interactions with the PTA, and her awkward jokes about lawn care. As she tries to find her footing, she must also manage her daughter (without *seeming* to manage her daughter). The movie takes time to notice exactly what happens between a parent and a busdriver, when a parent is sending her child on a first solo trip into Manhattan.

Meanwhile, Margaret watches the world and asks questions. If a girl in class has larger breasts, and there is some ambient gossip, does this automatically mean that the girl is "a fallen woman"? If someone sends a postcard that says, "I GOT MY PERIOD," do I automatically accept this as a statement of truth? If a boy has a tidy haircut, does this mean he is desirable company? What if he pinches my upper arm and says, "A pinch to grow an inch....in your chest area" --?

Everyone loves this movie -- but I just want to point out that it's an intelligent script about normal people, it passes the Bechdel Test, it addresses religious faith in a way that feels truthful and compassionate, and it never (actually never) seems to be treading water. Great work.

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