In Kelly Fremon Craig’s heartwarming rendering of Judy Blume’s seminal tale of girlhood joy and anguish, Abby Ryder Fortson is wonderful as the titular 11-year-old grappling with growing pains, new friendships, crushes, and a move to the suburbs, as is Rachel McAdams as her supportive mother, a painter and art teacher who sets her own passions aside to become more involved in her daughter’s parent-teacher association. As they both lose themselves and then, slowly, rediscover their identities, their unshakeable bond is always visible.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2023)
The Daniels’ mind-bending, multiverse-hopping romp is many things: a kung-fu action thriller, a surreal and inventive sci-fi epic, and an absurdist comedy involving Ratatouille-esque raccoons, hot dog fingers, butt plugs, and rocks discussing the meaning of life. But, at its core, it is actually the story of a mother (Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh) and a daughter (Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu) who can’t see eye to eye—the former, a beleaguered laundromat owner who is disappointed by her child’s life choices, and the latter a young woman who still desperately craves her approval. When they finally embrace, you’ll be shedding tears of joy.