ideas for documentaries, judy bloom foreverOn board the bestselling children’s author comes Davina Pardo, who directed the film five years ago with Leah Volchok. Speaking over a video call from Los Angeles, California, Pardo says, “I was on a road trip with my kids. we decided to play an audiobook and chose tales of fourth grade nothing (1972), one of Judy’s earliest books. Since she was the narrator on the audiobook, when we hit play, her voice filled the car.
Pardo commented, Bloom has a musical, beautiful voice. “It was the first time I heard her voice. I’ve been a huge Judy Bloom fan as a kid.” Although intrigued by the characters and the story, Pardo says she didn’t know anything about Bloom.”When I first heard her voice, it just struck me the most, and I suddenly wanted to know everything about Judy.”
Leah Volchok co-director of ‘Judy Bloom Forever’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
curiosity took over
Once she began researching, the filmmaker’s curiosity was piqued, Pardo says, and she realized there was no documentary on the author. “It was amazing because she’s such an icon, and has had such a huge impact on American culture. It made me realize that we had to make a movie about Judy Bloom.”
At first, Bloom was hesitant about the project. “It took a few years for them to say yes,” says Pardo. “He has a bookstore in Key West and knew what a commitment the film would be. She knew that if she agreed to make a documentary, it would make her want to be her real, forthcoming self. Over time, Pardo says, — once Bloom found out about Volchok and teaming up with Imagine Documentary — she came around.
family time
Bloom’s daughter, Randy, son, Larry (who was the inspiration for the Fudge books) and husband, George Cooper, are on camera in the engaging documentary. “The first time we filmed with Judy, George was with her,” says Volchok. “We had camera persons to capture George’s reaction to what she was saying. He said, ‘What are you doing? I am not going to be a part of this documentary. It’s about Judy. It seems anti-feminist, to comment on her husband’s work and his life. Don’t put me in this’.
Over time, Volchok says, Cooper agreed to join the film. “They decided to appear in the scene where they’re going through Polaroid photos of themselves over the years. They’re laughing together and having a lot of fun.”
Judy Bloom in Judy Bloom Forever | photo credit: special arrangement
balancing act
Pardo and Volchok say they always envisioned the film as a coming-of-age story of Judy Bloom, her characters, and their readers. “The structure is pretty chronological, but it was based on where these key coming-of-age moments intersected with Judy’s life, her books, and her readers. That was the balance we were working for throughout. “
write stuff
one of the beautiful things about judy bloom forever There are appearances by Laurie Kim and Karen Chilstrom who have been writing letters to Bloom since they were young and she wrote back. Judy published a book in the mid-’80s called Letter to Judy: What Your Kids Wish They Could Tell Youwhere she included excerpts from letters she had received,” says Pardo.
“Young people wrote to her about how they felt about their bodies, siblings, parental divorce, depression, eating disorders, sexual abuse, incest, and suicide,” Volchok continues. He included excerpts from those letters in this book. We knew that he had a deep connection with his readers. We didn’t know that he had kept in touch with some of these readers for decades.
The directors asked Bloom if she would be willing to ask some of the people who had written to her whether they would participate in the film. “She said of course, and introduced us to Laurie and Karen, who both agreed to share their children’s letters and their stories over the years.”
warrior of words
Pardo says she had no idea what a fighter Bloom was all her life. “I knew her work was groundbreaking, but I had no idea how path-breaking she was in her own life, pushing back against societal expectations, in this male-dominated industry without much support from home or community of friends. Broke.”
Volchok agrees, “She had to fight for her rights as a writer in the ’80s when her books were being censored. She went head-to-head with politicians, people like Pat Buchanan. I fight for that.” I admire her a lot. And she is still fighting against people who want to take the book off the shelves.
need to know
The documentary also features the writer, actor and producer talking about Bloom’s legacy. “We always knew we wanted to talk to writers writing for young audiences today whose work is being challenged, including Jason Reynolds, Alex Gino, and Jacqueline Woodson,” says Pardo. “The books that are being censored today are usually written by people of color or gay or trans authors. Those are the books parents are most afraid of exposing their children to.”
On the contrary, Volchok says, these are the books that most need to be out in the world so that young people can discover them and see themselves reflected in the story.
Judy Bloom and George Cooper in Judy Bloom Forever | photo credit: special arrangement
“We always knew we wanted to talk to those writers and were thrilled they wanted to participate,” says Volchok. “They all had this kind of insightful comment about how much Judy influenced them as writers.”
The director duo say they also wanted to talk to the celebrities, creators and actors who revolutionized the way female heroines were viewed in American television and films. “Molly Ringwald, Samantha Bee, Lena Dunham and Anna Konkle were instrumental in telling the world how much Judy influenced American popular culture.”
Judy Bloom Forever is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video