Robert Kojder chats with Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig…
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. has been around for 50+ years, with no one yet to have attempted a big screen adaptation of Judy Blume’s novel until The Edge of Seventeen writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig. There is unquestionably pressure when tackling such an ambitious project, but the results are something that author Judy Blume considers stronger than the book. That’s also a somewhat unsurprising statement, given Kelly Fremon Craig’s superb talent at working with younger actors and coaxing believable and authentic performances from their stories and character arcs.
Kelly Fremon Craig recently visited Chicago, where I was able to speak to her about the film, including a wide range of topics from the film’s release during another point in time when books are once again under fire for unfair reasons, her relationship with teachers (recurring dynamics in her movies), a fair and balanced approach to religion, coaching talented young performers Abby Ryder Fortson and Elle Graham, re-creating 1970, a scene that gives her pins and needles from thinking about it, what she wants her actors and younger viewers to take away from this experience, and much more.
Be sure to see this heartwarming and sweet story about the joys and pains of adolescence, whether to go back in time yourself or so your children can watch something relatable. Please enjoy the interview below:
I love both of your films so far.
Oh, thank you!
However, this one is coming out at a time when books are, again, unfairly under fire for various reasons. So how does it feel to follow in Judy Blume’s footsteps, block out that negativity, and introduce Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. to a new generation?
Yeah. First of all, it is wild to be releasing it during this time when it’s suddenly controversial. I can’t even wrap my brain around that. It’s pretty absurd to me. It got crazy again after we finished making the film. But it’s exciting because I love Judy Blume. I read her for the first time when I was 11 and felt I needed to read everything she wrote. So I did; I went and got every book and just inhaled them because she has a way of capturing what it was really like to be that age. She told the truth. That was refreshing and reassuring.
Is there anything specific about this novel you related to more than anything else that made you want to tackle this first-time adaptation?
Oh, I have such a dumb answer *laughs*
There are no dumb answers here, haha!
Well, I have a dumb and less dumb answer. I was a late bloomer like Margaret, so I related deeply to praying for a decent pair of boobs; that was one. The second thing was Margaret’s spiritual journey. I really related to this kid searching for something greater beyond us but not finding it in typical places of worship. Not finding it in a church or a temple, but finding it alone in her room and carving out her own sense of something greater beyond us. That’s something that resonated for me because it was at that age that I started to ask, is there anyone up there? Is that true? Do I believe that? And what do I think about all this? That’s a question I still ask myself every day. The answer evolves and shifts with my life.
I assure you both of those answers were great. Abby Ryder Fortson is outstanding here. I was very impressed with her ability to talk to God without making the dialogue or delivery come across as unnatural.
Thank you so much for mentioning that, because that was something we really were concerned would feel unnatural, in particular, saying the title out loud. The first time she says, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.” I think that was probably the most takes I ever shot on set because I thought, man, when you hear that title out loud, it has to roll off her tongue. You don’t want to hear the title and be taken out of the movie because of it. She delivered it great.
You’re right. Between this and The Edge of Seventeen, your protagonists form moving bonds with teachers, and I’m aware the teacher is also in the book here. but I’m curious if any teachers strongly impacted your life.
I love this question! No one’s asked me that.
You’re welcome!
I have had many teachers that greatly impacted my life. In fact, I think in some ways, teachers can form you. They’re right behind your parents. You spend so much time with them, seeking their guidance and approval. And if they tell you you’re good at something, you believe them. And if they tell you that you’re bad at something, you believe them. When you have somebody who’s really wonderful, it makes a big difference. I’m in touch with a lot of my teachers still. I can think of one who completely changed my life.
Modern media takes pleasure in either functioning as pro-faith propaganda or tearing down religion. But by striking that balance here and allowing Margaret to observe different religions and churches for what they are, it feels like the choice of what she wants to believe remains hers. So is that why keeping the balanced approach to religion here was important?
First of all, I think that’s really well articulated.
Thank you.
I wanted to portray the different religions as respectfully and beautifully as possible. I wanted her not to find God in those places, not because God doesn’t exist at those places or because there’s anything wrong with them, but because it’s a personal thing. She almost takes it upon herself and says, “I don’t know why I can’t feel anything here. I don’t know why I only feel God alone in my room.” I find that search so moving; there’s something about it, her spiritual curiosity I find resonating. I have that same curiosity.
I also like how you point out that religion isn’t necessarily the problem, but adults forcing religion on others is really the problem.
That’s exactly it. These are beautiful religions. When it’s forced upon you, that’s when it becomes a problem.
Elle Graham, who plays Nancy, to me, has one of the best scenes in the movie, which is where she first gets her period in the restaurant. It is a brilliantly acted moment that conveys to the characters and younger viewers that some of this is not as fun as it sounds. So how did you get that performance out of her?
Elle, who’s such a talented young actress, when she went to shoot that scene, she did a few takes, and they were all beautiful, but then she said, “Kelly, do you mind if I just step away for a second to see my mom?” I said, “Sure, sure, of course.” She steps away and she just goes over to her mom and hugs her, and her mom just holds her for a second and whispers something in her ear, giving her confidence. And she comes back and delivers that take in the movie. We were all in tears off that take, including our cameraman, and it makes me tear up right now thinking about it because I think there’s something so beautiful about the fact that she was able to be embraced by her mom and infused with courage from it. There’s something so moving about that,
That is a really sweet story. What do you think the actors learned from the process of making this movie?
I love to improvise. So, I hope the young actors, in particular, learned to trust themselves on their feet. Often I would say, “Okay, that’s the scene, but now you can’t say any of the words in the script, and we’re going to get the scene.” That required them to just think on their feet. Some incredible, funny, original stuff comes out of those improvisations. That’s when things are most alive. I hope they take that to the next thing because they really did beautiful work when asked to do that.
From the beginning, we learn that the movie takes place in 1970. What made you want to stick to that period instead of the full-on modern update?
I knew I absolutely didn’t want to update it. I knew that for sure. I wanted a faithful adaptation. Second of all, I think there’s something great about being a kid today, a 12-year-old girl today, and seeing a 12-year-old girl 50 years ago, going through the same thing that you’re going through today, and having the same feelings and knowing that we are all in this together. That it’s not just you. It’s always been like this; your mom, your grandma, all women throughout all history. Something is reassuring about that.
What was your favorite part about recreating 1970?
I loved working with our production designer, Steve Saklad. He was able to create these sets that just knocked me over. I would show up, and I felt like I was transported to another world. But the other thing he did so beautifully, and so did our costume designer, Anne Roth, is they rose to the challenge I gave them, which was how do we create 1970 but also timeless? So it’s both period-accurate but given universal nostalgia. You see it in things like Margaret’s room; it’s 1970, but I think you could see that room in 1990 or today. It has universal nostalgia.
I definitely felt that while watching the movie too.
Oh, good, I’m so glad.
Did you share anything about this adaptation with Judy Blume before it was finished or seek her for advice?
She was there through the whole process. She read drafts of the script. She was there on set. It was really important to me to involve her from top to bottom.
I mostly know Benny Safdie from his electric crime thriller works such as Uncut Gems. I never expected him to appear in something this family-friendly. So how did you get him attached to this project?
I love that people are like, “Benny Safdie is in this!?”
That was my reaction when I saw the cast list!
I love how shocking it is. It’s so exciting. I love his work. I’m such a fan of his as an actor and a director. I thought he would knock this role out of the park, and I think he does. He’s so natural. They feel like a family; I’m so impressed by them as actors and how they could just gel and come together so quickly and give off that feeling.
Are there any other Judy Blume novels you would love to adapt?
A bunch of them are getting snatched up to be adapted now. I don’t think there’s going to be any left for me. I feel like I’m reading about a new one getting an adaptation every other day, which is exciting. I hope there’s a whole slew of ’em.
I’m not familiar with the book, but it seems to me that there is a conscious effort to shade in the inner life of Barbara and give her character a more detailed arc.
Yes.
How did you decide to make that change? Were you ever nervous about occasionally shifting perspective away from Margaret?
I am always cognizant of shifting POV in a film, where you can do it, and how to do it in a way that threads through and isn’t distracting from the story. But when I reread the book as an adult, I was really struck by Barbara. Whereas when I read it as a kid, I was oblivious to the parents. I was oblivious to anything that didn’t have to do with the kids. But there were a few little seeds in there that made me think Barbara was an interesting character, and I wanted to see what would happen if we dug deeper into her and gave her her own journey.
And I’m a mom who’s struggled with balancing my role with my career and how much time I devote to my career. So I wanted to explore that. A lot of the maternal guilt I feel, you know, because I do work so much. I wanted to explore all that in Barb’s character. The seeds were there in the book. So I was able to plant them to see what would grow.
That’s such a good answer. What was the biggest challenge of finding your Margaret?
The tough part about playing the role of Margaret is that everybody who read the book growing up saw themselves as Margaret. So in that way, the actress who played Margaret not only has to be Margaret, but she also has to be everybody who is watching. She had to have this relatability that drew everybody in. Abby does; There’s something about her where you look into her eyes, root for her, and want her to be okay. She’s soulful and vulnerable, funny, and layered.
Did you have a favorite scene with her to shoot?
Several. It’s always a toss-up, but I think my current winner is the first kiss. There’s something about that scene where every time I see it, I’m on pins and needles with her. I’m just, I’m in that bathroom. There’s something about that needle drop, the Son of a Preacher Man needle drop, that just…
It’s such a good song choice
My heart, every time I hear it. That might be my favorite.
Are there any upcoming projects you want to tell us about?
I’m circling a couple of different things in my mind, but I haven’t committed to anything yet, so I can’t really talk about ’em yet. But I’m excited to get this done, and then I will probably try to take a little break; just be a human being for a second, let myself get inspired, and then see what comes.
I saw somewhere that Judy Blume said the movie is better than the book. How does that make you feel, and why do you think she believes that?
It’s the greatest compliment in the whole entire world. I’m just so happy. She is happy and feels this good because, when I made it, I felt such a responsibility to her; I wanted her to be happy, most of all. So the fact that she feels as good as she does is a relief and a real joy.
What’s the most important thing you want younger viewers to take away from watching this film?
I hope they watch it and feel less alone. I hope they see themselves reflected in it, and I hope they can laugh.
Perfect answer! Thank you so much for your time. It was a pleasure talking to you.
I appreciate it. Thank you for the great questions
I’m excited about whatever you do next.
Thank you!
Many thanks to Kelly Fremon Craig for taking the time for this interview. Read our review of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. here.
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
