With Prime Video documentary and ‘Margaret’ adaptation, Judy Blume is having a moment
Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on April 21, 2023
Judy Blume Forever, a documentary about the beloved, boundary-pushing children’s book author, hits Prime Video on April 21. The following week, the film adaptation of Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret hits theaters. It wasn’t planned that way, but Judy Blume says she’s making the most of it.
“Well, it wasn’t my idea,” Blume tells ABC Audio. “The fact that both movies are coming out at the same time, almost — that wasn’t supposed to happen, but things happen.” She laughs, “I don’t know — I’m 85, why not enjoy it?”
The movie’s directors, Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok, agree: the more Judy, the better. “We love that Judy Blume is having a moment right now, and we love that the films are coming out at the same time,” says Wolchok. “I think they really complement each other.”
“I mean, you can get to know Judy’s life story and understand a little bit deeper into her perspective … and then to see this really loyal, beautiful, cinematic adaptation of her seminal work, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, a week later and share that with your kids — they’re a great double feature.”
In Judy Blue Forever, Blume tells her own story, but there’s also archival interview footage, commentary by famous fans like Molly Ringwald and excerpts from the thousands of letters that Blume’s received from readers over the years. We also hear from two of those young readers, who went on to correspond with Blume for decades.
“Even though so many of the details of our lives have changed … the feeling of being young and wondering, ‘Am I normal? … Why don’t my parents understand me?’… I think holds true for kids today,” says Pardo. “They don’t go away. And because Judy captured them so accurately, her books really still resonate with kids.”
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