
Do you remember what puberty was like for you? This coming-of-age film will remind you with its effervescent humour, lightheartedness, and unexpected warmth.
How hard did puberty hit you? I’m glad I’ve survived that phase, though war flashbacks still haunt me. The unsightly acne, unwanted hair growth, and hormonal changes may be par for the course, but I wish I’d known about them sooner. That way, I’d be better prepared for what was to come. But I had to learn it the hard way – and that’s what 11-year-old Margaret goes through in this movie. As I sat through the film, it felt like I was re-experiencing my adolescent years, gender notwithstanding. Warning: mild spoilers ahead.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret review: The start of something new
Set in the 1970s, the movie begins with a montage of the titular character at summer camp. We see Margaret Simon having the time of her life: basking in nature, laughing, and having fun with her friends. She returns to New York a happy girl, excitedly greeting her mother, Barbara, and grandmother, Sylvia.
The ladies return to their apartment, where Margaret finds out her parents are uprooting from the city to New Jersey. She’s understandably upset as her folks try to appease her. Her grandmother is unhappy but resigned to the decision. Imagine relocating from Sentosa Cove to Ulu Pandan – that’s probably how Margaret feels. This is when she starts having one-sided conversations with God.
As the trio settle into their suburban home, a neighbour pops over. Meet Nancy Wheeler, who quickly befriends Margaret. This is when the latter first interacts with Moose Freed and develops a crush on him. You can literally see her making heart eyes at him! Ah, young love.
The next day, our gal goes to her new school and is welcomed into Nancy’s group. They form a secret clique, where they hang out after school to talk about their crushes and exercise to boost their bust size. This marks the start of Margaret’s journey into puberty. However, it’s not just her experiencing changes.
Barbara resolves to be a stay-at-home parent to spend time with her daughter while Herb, her husband and Margaret’s father, goes to work. We see Barbara grappling with her loss of identity and trying to figure out what to do with so much free time on her hands. Meanwhile, Sylvia’s yearning for her granddaughter. She rings the house every day to speak to Margaret and make future plans.
Girl gone (not quite) wild

Margaret learns about puberty through various film sequences, such as getting her first bra, discovering menstruation, and buying sanitary pads. Writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig deftly tackles these scenes with humour and lightheartedness, making them feel less documentary-like.
The theatre erupts with laughter at the right places as our heroine navigates the scenarios with earnest innocence. Abby Ryder Fortson, our lead, is a joy to watch. Normally, I’d write off young characters as they’re annoying and can weigh a show down, but Abby as Margaret won me over. Kudos!
It’s not just puberty that Margaret has to deal with: she also has to tackle a year-long research assignment on her religious identity. While her father’s a Jew and her mother’s a Christian, they choose not to raise her in either faith until she’s ready to decide. Margaret asks Sylvia to take her to a synagogue during a weekend visit; she also attends mass with her friend Janie Loomis. Of course, there are her conversations with God too.
As someone still coming to terms with his religious beliefs, I wasn’t put off by this development. I mean, the movie’s called Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret! Divinity is the film’s core and it didn’t feel overtly preachy.
Finally finding the reasons to believe

The next act sees Margaret facing conflicts that challenge her further. She gets told off by a classmate everyone ostracises for being more developed physically. Her planned Florida trip to visit Sylvia is cancelled due to the arrival of Barbara’s parents – Margaret’s maternal grandparents – whom she’s never met. We learn the reason behind this, which leads to an argument that causes the tween to yell at the adults.
Now, I won’t completely spoil the last act for you, but this is when our lead character comes into her own and doesn’t let others influence her. She’s fully aware of Nancy’s red flags and breaks through to Moose. And she finally gets what she’s been asking God for. There are tears, excitement and relief. Barbara’s happy ending also impacted me and made me reflect. The story may be about a girl on the precipice of puberty, but it’s relatable to adults too. It’s as if Kelly is telling us not to dismiss it as another teen flick!
The biggest lesson I gleaned from the film is when Margaret submitted her assignment to her teacher. It highlighted that, above anything else, you should have faith in yourself so you can go forth and take on all challenges. It doesn’t matter if you succeed, so long as your self-belief never wavers.
An uplifting film that’ll bring a smile to your face

Amidst the shiny Barbie release and the terrifying Oppenheimer epic, Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret is a ray of sunshine that treads familiar ground for moviegoers. The movie may be set in America in the 1970s, but it showcases evergreen topics that are talked about today, even though we have no definitive ways of dealing with them.
I daresay it’s an accurate depiction, especially in Singapore where schools are still unsure how to properly discuss puberty with adolescents. Scenes of the girls taking advice from books and magazines, and even the menstruation portion, are things that we’ve done in the throes of puberty.
That said, even though the movie feels relatable, some parts may not ring true to our Asian society. I mean, do you recall your parents openly talking about these things with you? Perhaps it’s a yes for some, but it definitely wasn’t the case for me. Also, I can’t speak about periods and growing boobs since my knowledge is limited to anecdotes from those open to discussing them.
While Abby did a marvellous job with her portrayal, I reserve my praise for Rachel McAdams, who plays her mother. Her acting is natural and effortless, and her crying scenes really touched me. Kathy Bates is a little underutilised in this film but still powers through whenever she appears on the screen. A special shoutout to her wigs: they look great and feel like actual characters themselves.
Even though I didn’t read the book the film is adapted from, I feel compelled to pick it up now. I’m unsure if I’ll find anything new from it… but maybe I’ll reconnect with my inner adolescent. If that happens, I’ll tell him everything will turn out fine – just trust the process and have faith in yourself.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is now showing at The Projector.