This week on the 5AM StoryTalk Podcast, I'm joined by my friend, filmmaker Kelly Fremon Craig. Back in 2016, she wrote and directed The Edge of Seventeen, which is a brilliant coming-of-age gem; in 2023, she returned with another coming-of-age story, this time a wonderful adaptation of Judy Blume’s classic novel, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Her direction is never showy, and yet always specifically her; her dialogue and character work is always authentic and crackling and very often unexpectedly moving; and her screenplays are a legitimate joy to read.
This is actually Kelly’s second time joining me for some 5AM StoryTalk. She was the first artist-on-artist conversation I ever had at the newsletter component of this independent media experiment, which you can read here for even more insights into her art (especially her screenwriting). You can read her scripts for The Edge of Seventeen here and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. here. Today we’ll be talking about her craft, writing with her whole body rather than just her head, and searching for something true in her work.
A bonus episode is also available, so be sure to listen to that, too. Kelly returns to discuss a seminal piece of art from her life — Broadcast News (1987), which was written and directed by her mentor James L. Brooks. I’m thrilled with her pick, as it’s a comedy-drama the likes of which I wish Hollywood would make more of (kind of like Kelly’s work).
