Judy Bloom’s pre-teen bible with regards to’concerning’with respect to an 11-year-old girl praying to hit puberty has proven a beacon of solace in/with regard to’concerning’regarding girls (and often boys) across generations. Its enduring power lies in its confused protagonist, caught in the slipstream of her childhood, entangled in family politics and in a turbulent relationship with God.###It’s a tough task to adapt such beloved — some might even say sacred — source material, published some 50 years ago. Yet writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig, whose last film The Edge Of Seventeen serves as a compassionate enormous’vast’massive’tremendous sister to Margaret, makes light work of the challenge. By mining the timeless troubles of a girl wishing away her youth and yet unprepared in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the perils of growing up, Fremon Craig delivers a film of disarming vulnerability and complexity.###Like the reserve , Margaret is so much more than a coming-of-age story in/with regard to’concerning’regarding children.###At its epicentre, Abby Ryder Fortson plays a shaken-up bottle of angst ready to pop, her perin/with regard to’concerning’regarding mance raw and expressive without becoming undue , which, given the overwhelming drama dominating her short life, is no small feat. The film begins with Margaret and parents Barbara (Rachel McAdams) and Herb (Benny Safdie) upping sticks and leaving behind grandmother Sylvia (Kathy Bates), who has an unshakable bond with her granddaughter. After being instantly recruited into a new friendship group by a in/with regard to’concerning’regarding thright neighbourhood peer, Margaret must now misgiving’fret with regards to’concerning’with respect to boys and bras on top of desperately missing Sylvia, while wrestling with the mounting problems caused by her parents’ different religious backgrounds (Barbara was raised Christian, Herb is Jewish).###The maintain’sustain ing cast are boundlessly joyful to behold. Bates is a firecracker and makes in/with regard to’concerning’regarding a natural companion to Ryder Fortson (a moment of unbridled, mischievous happiness between the pair after a Broadway reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue is one of the film’s highlights). Safdie, whose career has pivoted wondrously between scuzzy indie filmmaker and character actor, is a certified charmer, his delightful oddball energy bouncing off McAdams’ more grounded presence.###Yet McAdams is the intense’fierce’exquisite est hand. Margaret’s new school and a personal astoken ment on religion put new pressures on Barbara — she has “harried mom” problems, sure, but is also wrestling with a painful past — and the film shines when the actor’s tender , emotionally poignant perin/with regard to’concerning’regarding mance takes centre stage. It positively soars when she’s with Ryder Fortson, as mother and daughter wrestle with issues of right and wrong. All the while, Fremon Craig keeps the tone sweet and nuanced with bursts of comic relief, without ever straying into mawkishness.###Like the reserve , Margaret is so much more than a coming-of-age story in/with regard to’concerning’regarding children. The relationships coursing through it make it a drama brimming with humour, vitality and empathy. The setbacks — from a nasty comment at school to Sylvia’s new loneliness — are heartbreaking, the wins moments of communal celebration. Margaret’s world may be small, but through Fremon Craig’s faithful adaptation, her journey through it leaves a mighty impact.