2023’s shaping up to be a big year for movies with plenty of blockbusters in the pipeline, but a smaller film we’re looking forward to is the coming-of-age dramedy Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. It’s directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, who helmed another coming-of-age drama, 2016’s The Edge of Seventeen. Based on the novel of the same name, Are You There God? tells the story of a girl from New York City who moves to New Jersey, while dealing with growing up and trying to discover her mixed religious identity.
Our main protagonist is the titular Margaret, played by Abby Ryder Forster, best known for playing Cassie Lang in the first two Ant-Man films. In both the novel and film, she feels like she has no religious affiliation due to her parents having different faiths; her mother is Christian and her father is Jewish. Rachel McAdams (Game Night, Spotlight) is set to play Margaret’s mother Barbara and Benny Safdie (Liquorice Pizza) plays her father Herb. The family moved to New Jersey from NYC and began a new life, with 11-year-old Margaret having to get used to a new town and new friends. Barbara is a supportive and loving figure to her but is also navigating life in a different state. Contemplating her identity, adolescence and religion soon becomes Margaret’s chief concern.
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Also in Margaret’s life is her grandmother Sylvia, played by Kathy Bates (Misery, Richard Jewell), who is trying to find her own happiness in life. While the trio of Margaret, Barbara and Sylvia are in different stages of life and experiences, they all share a feeling of questioning their place in the world that ultimately draws them closer together. The novel became a staple for American girls for its realistic portrayal of growing up, maturing, and having an honest discussion about topics like mensuration and sex. The recently released official trailer gives a glimpse of what you can expect, showcasing the period fashion and styles of the 70s, and Barbara and Margaret having an awkward first conversation about bras, all to the George Harrison song What Is Life. Are You There God? is set to arrive in cinemas on 28th April.