Over 50 years afterJudy Blumes classic novelAre You There, God?
However, leading the charge is the documentaryJudy Blume ForeverfromVery Semi-Seriousdirectors Davina Pardo andLeah Wolchok.
DEADLINE:I have to ask, where you Judy Blume readers growing up?
Judy Blume ForeverCourtesy of Sundance Institute
DAVINA PARDO: I was a Judy Blume reader as a kid.
Leah and I joke I was an early bloomer, and she was a late bloomer in many ways.
I got my period when I was 10, before my older sister got hers.
Michael Buckner for Deadline
I remember readingAre You There God?
Its Me, Margaretand realizing there are kids who want this.
That blew my mind.
I decided to introduce them to [Blumes]Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.
LEAH WOLCHOK:I am a late bloomer in every way.
I didnt read Judy really when I was a kid.
I didnt read much as a kid.
I did read V.C.
Andrews secretly a lot, which is really embarrassing.
I wish I had readAre You There, God?
Its Me, Margaretand not been afraid of it.
I was a good girl.
I didnt want to read something that was taboo despite the fact that I was reading V.C.
DEADLINE:In that, Judy Blume books are very much of their timedated, in a good way.
DEADLINE:How so?
PARDO:Its why were all drawn to great coming-of-age movies, or coming-of-age books.
I mean, Judy is not pretending to speak for everyone.
The characters are first-person.
We were really trying to balance those two things.
So we were constantly kind of living in those spaces and trying to do both at once.
About the wide ranging and bald-faced banning of books.
Now we want the film to start the dialogue within schools, within libraries, within homes.
Maybe the kid watches the film.
Maybe the adult watches the film.
That would be one small good thing.
PARDO:I dont know if I agree with that.
I feel like thats been going on for a long time.
People have always had this really strong reaction to her.
Same whenSummer Sisterscame out 15 years before that.
It may be more in social media right now.
It feels like that moment is really repeating itself in disserving ways.
In that sense, clinically theres been a lot of parallels.
I read aboutSummer SistersandForeverboth being adapted.
The Fudge series weve read about being adapted.
DEADLINE:Leah, you mention Judy saying yes to projects more recently.
PARDO:Judys honesty on the page, we saw it in all our interactions with her.
We were just always very clear with each other.
I think we immediately had a rapport.
I remember going to meet her for the first time and telling myself, Do not cry.
I mean, you have to, right?
We did very longinterviews.
Watching her do 50th-anniversary events on Zoom.
It was a slow build to production.
I think that was really helpful to.
That was the thing that struck a chord.
For me thats really inspiring.
I hope it is for other people too.
Stories can be stylistically different, but theyre stemming from ones own unique, intimate perspective.
