Judy Blume Forever (2023)
8KJudy Blume Forever (2023). 1h 37m | 16+
“We all read her around that age and Iu0026#39;m pleased that I did. That was way more years than I care to think about right now, but thankyou Judy – you helped a pubescent boy understand some things.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnyway – what we have is an unsurprisingly frank documentary on one of the great authors, maybe not great in the sense of Nabokov, Dostoevsky or any of the u0026quot;heavyweightsu0026quot;, but someone that made information accessible and digestible to a whole bunch of kids that deserved that information in a way they could relate to.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWe get quite a lot of insight into Judy, her life, family, self and some of her readers – this is the most interesting aspect of the documentary, how Judy engaged with her readers and their incredibly varied experiences in life. It may seem grandiose, but we need more Judyu0026#39;s in the world, people that engage honestly, frankly and with kindness.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAside from actual people that Iu0026#39;ve known who effected me, thereu0026#39;s maybe two cultural u0026quot;phenomonau0026quot; that have shaped my u0026quot;adult-manu0026quot;. One, Buffy and two Judy, both taught me more about women than Iu0026#39;d have ever known otherwise and theyu0026#39;re both treasures.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eJudyu0026#39;s courage and honesty as an author are inspiring and this documents it well and shows (sadly) that the more things change, the more they stay the same, this doesnu0026#39;t flinch from some of the more challenging aspects of Judyu0026#39;s life, her continuing relevance and the terrifying aspect of u0026quot;book banningu0026quot;.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAmerica – youu0026#39;ve given the world a treasure.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis film documents it very deservedly well and Judyu0026#39;s presence throughout exudes warmth kindness and an ability not to talk down to kids. If I do have a criticism, Iu0026#39;d have liked more talking heads, views from other writers, pyschologists and academics – I could easily have watched another 30 minutes or so of this if it was there. Not quite u0026quot;essentialu0026quot; viewing, definitely essential reading.”
