U.S., 2023, 106 min, DCP, Dir. Kelly Fremon Craig, Rated PG-13. Lionsgate
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
Sunday, October 8
“For anyone navigating the rocky journey into young adulthood, or any parent trying to help, it’ll feel like a hand stretched out in solidarity. Just like Judy Blume intended.” —Phil de Semlyen, Time Out
“Heartfelt, compassionate and funny.” —Kristen Lopez, TheWrap
At 11, Margaret is moving to a new town and beginning to contemplate everything about life, friendship, and adolescence. She relies on her mother (Rachel McAdams), who offers loving support but is herself finding her own footing in a new place, and her grandmother Sylvia (Kathy Bates), who is coming to terms with finding happiness in the next phase of her life. For all three, questions of identity, one’s place in the world, and what brings meaning to a life will draw them closer together than ever before.
From writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig (The Edge of Seventeen) and Gracie Films’ Academy Award-winning producer James L. Brooks.
This film was adapted from Judy Blume's 1970 novel of the same name, which was named a Time Best YA Book of All Time. Blume is one of America’s most popular authors and the recipient of the 2004 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret has been challenged for its candid discussion of menstruation, sexuality, and religion. Click here to read more about this book.
Join us and Books and Books to celebrate Banned Books Week with the presentation of two films adapted from challenged books, 1984 by George Orwell and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume. Banned Books Week (October 1 to 7, 2023) celebrates the freedom to read and spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. For more than 40 years, the annual event has brought together the entire book community in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, this event draws national attention to the harms of censorship. This year's theme is "Let Freedom Read." For more information, visit the American Library Association.
Check out the rest of our Banned Books program!
