Joyful ode to the halcyon days of childhood

Damon Smith reviews the latest new releases to watch in the cinema

ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET (PG)

Thank you, God, for answering my prayers and manifesting an unabashedly heartfelt, touching and hysterical adaptation of Judy Blume’s beloved novel.

Writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig preaches personal growth, self-awareness and acceptance in a beautifully realised 1970s-set coming-of-age comedy drama that is comfortingly old-fashioned in terms of its character-driven storytelling but still resonates clearly with contemporary audiences.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret poses questions about religion, sexuality, peer pressure and belonging through the eyes of a wide-eyed adolescent who does not have the luxury of searching online for answers and must rely on conflicting advice from family, friends and her teacher.

Abby Ryder Fortson is luminous as the eponymous truth-seeker, capturing gentle fluctuations in her character’s emotional state as an unexpected relocation exposes pain in her parents’ marriage and ushers in the purchase of a first bra.

Strong female voices resonate clearly in Fremon Craig’s nostalgic picture, including the powerhouse supporting turns of Rachel McAdams as Margaret’s protective mother and Kathy Bates as a glamorous grandmother on the prowl for a gentleman companion to share her cheese board.

Laughs are sprinkled generously, from Margaret and friends believing they can hasten changes to their bodies with ritualistic chants of “We must, we must, we must increase our bust!” to wise words about male anatomy.

Eleven-year-old Margaret Simon (Ryder Fortson) returns from summer camp to learn her parents Barbara (McAdams) and Herb (Benny Safdie) intend to trade New York City for New Jersey because of her father’s promotion at work.

The move will force Margaret to change schools, lose her current circle of friends and loosen her tight grip on the emotional comfort blanket of her paternal grandmother (Bates). At a time of great uncertainty, Margaret voices her concerns to a higher power.

“First, I’ve heard a lot of great things about you ...” she whispers, pleading for divine intervention to derail her parents’ plans. “If you can’t do that, please don’t let New Jersey be too horrible.”

Her plea seems to be answered when Margaret quickly befriends new next-door neighbour Nancy Wheeler (Elle Graham) and is invited to join a secret club with classmates Janie Loomis (Amari Alexis Price) and Gretchen Potter (Katherine Kupferer).

Over the course of an eventful school year, Margaret nervously anticipates the arrival of puberty, makes amends for unkind words about Laura Danker (Isol Young) and nurtures a crush on local lad Moose (Aidan Wojtak-Hissong).

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is a bittersweet and joyful ode to the halcyon days of childhood which affords richly drawn characters the time they need to bloom. A stellar ensemble cast complements Ryder Fortson’s nuanced and naturalistic portrayal, effortlessly tugging heartstrings as members of the Simon clan apply the learnings of respective life lessons.

Fremon Craig’s film is a high achiever and earns top grades with ease.

BEAU IS AFRAID (15)

8.5/10

In his stylish features Hereditary and Midsommar, writer-director Ari Aster plundered universal fears for skinprickling discomfort.

He repeats the trick, with considerably less narrative clarity, in the hallucinogenic horror comedy Beau Is Afraid, a bamboozling and beguiling exercise in self-reflection and self-indulgence tethered to a fiercely committed lead performance from Joaquin Phoenix as the titular worrywart.

A running time close to three hours will be a source of justifiable fear for some audiences and Aster’s picture certainly feels bloated but his madcap odyssey into the mind of a damaged everyman is never dull.

An episodic structure and flashes of directorial verve including a prolonged stop-motion sequence masterminded by animators Cristobal Leon and Joaquin Cocina demand attention as coherence is ritually sacrificed before our bewildered eyes, culminating in a monstrous encounter in an attic that cannot be unseen. Art should always make you feel something, even if in this case, it’s dizziness and confusion.

FAST X (12A)

6/10

The turbo-charged action franchise shifts into top gear with a two-part finale, beginning with the burning rubber of this instalment written by Dan Mazeaua and Justin Lin and directed by Louis Leterrier.

Fast X harks back to events of Fast & Furious 5 and a daring bank heist in Rio de Janeiro at the expense of sadistic drug lord Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida).

Hernan’s vengeful son Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa) vows to make Dominic’s crew pay for their daredevil actions.

He ruthlessly targets the street racer Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Mia (Jordana Brewster), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Ludacris), hacker Ramsey (Nathalie

Emmanuel) and drift racer Han Lue (Sung Kang). Meanwhile, scheming cyber-terrorist Cypher (Charlize Theron) continues to wreak havoc in the shadows.

Above: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret with Rachel McAdams and Abby Ryder Fortson; below: Beau Is Afraid with Joaquin Phoenix