“Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret” was an amazingly executed movie that perfectly portrayed what it is like to grow up as a girl, as well as what it is like to grow up around so many different religions and what it is like to navigate that as a kid, and even an adult. This movie also sparked childhood memories for many people who read the original book when they were young.
I thought that the movie really showed what it was like to grow up as a girl. It talked about the pressures society pushes on young girls to grow up fast and feel the need to look a certain way. I really liked how while addressing such heavy topics, they did so in a lighthearted, funny way. They portrayed situations and friendships almost every girl has at a young age. I thought that this really resonated with me and many other girls who have been there or are even there right now. Growing up as a girl in this society is hard, and this movie really felt like a safe space and made me feel connected and more normal about experiences I had growing up.
The movie also addressed growing up in a society with so many different religions and views of what God should and should not be. They portrayed the stress and overwhelming feelings and pressure many kids feel to have to fit into a certain religion or set of beliefs. The concept of religion can be hard for many kids, especially those with parents who each have their own set of beliefs. The movie showed the pressure from family members and society put on kids to think a certain way and in the end, came to the conclusion that kids do not have to have it all figured out right now. They expressed that kids have their whole life to figure out what religion is right for them, if any at all, and can think for themselves. This really sat heavy with me since I experienced similar situations and I thought they completely did the topic justice.
I also took my mom with me to see the movie derived from what she had so long known as the most iconic book from her childhood. The movie greatly impacted her as well.
“‘Watching ‘Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret’ took me right back to elementary school and every girl running to get to the library first so they could check the book out that week to read. I was nervous at first that they wouldn’t do such an iconic book justice after all these years, but they did it,” my mother Crystal Kulaga said. “The movie touched on so many aspects of adolescence. We laughed, I cried. I am so glad I could experience this movie with my own daughter. As a parent you watch your daughter go through all these same emotions you had experienced as a youth and remember how hard it is in the moment, but when you look back at everything, you realize it’s all part of growing up and can laugh about it now.”
