Call Jane | |
---|---|
Directed by | Phyllis Nagy |
Screenplay by |
|
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | Greta Zozula |
Edited by | Peter McNulty |
Music by | Isabella Summers |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | Roadside Attractions |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 121 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $694,787 [1] |
Call Jane is a 2022 American drama film starring Elizabeth Banks as a suburban housewife in the 1960s who deals with a life-threatening pregnancy and subsequently joins the Jane Collective, an underground network of abortion activists. [2] The film also stars Sigourney Weaver, Chris Messina, Kate Mara, Wunmi Mosaku, Cory Michael Smith, Grace Edwards, and John Magaro. It is directed by Phyllis Nagy. The screenplay was written by Hayley Schore and Roshan Sethi.
It premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2022. [3] It was released in the United States on October 28, 2022, by Roadside Attractions.
In 1968 Chicago, Joy Griffin, a traditional housewife, is pregnant with a second child long after having a daughter, Charlotte, who is now a teenager and just experienced menstruation. Shortly after witnessing the 1968 Democratic National Convention protests, Joy begins experiencing bouts of fatigue, culminating in her passing out at her home. In the hospital, she and her husband Will learn that her pregnancy is causing her to have congestive heart failure, which will kill her unless she has her child before then, or has an abortion.
Joy and Will decide to petition the hospital’s all-male board for an abortion, only for them to unanimously refuse her request. In the wake of this, Joy becomes increasingly desperate over time. She eventually attempts a back alley abortion, but flakes out upon seeing the horrible conditions. Running outside, Joy finds an ad for the Jane Collective, a Chicago underground women's network that provides safer abortions. Joy schedules an appointment with them, and is escorted by a former patient named Gwen to a secret clinic outside of town. There, Joy successfully receives an abortion from a talented but misogynistic male gynecologist, Dean. While recuperating, she meets the collective's founder, Virginia. Upon returning home, Joy lies to Will and Charlotte about the circumstances and claims she had a miscarriage.
A few days later, Virginia calls Jane at her home and exorts her to escort a woman to the clinic after Gwen is struck with food poisoning, which she reluctantly does. Joy is mortified to discover the girl is a flippant teenager named Sandra, and the father is having an extramarital affair with her and also paying for the procedure. Virginia rebukes this, saying that no woman deserves to be judged, but rather helped. Joy eventually gets roped into becoming part of the collective, under the guise of going to art class, and befriends Virginia.
Joy begins assisting Dean with the procedure, as well as patients going through emotional stress. This results in her discovering that Dean is not actually a licensed medical professional, and has no degree. Meanwhile, friction grows over the high $600 charge that Dean requests for each abortion, particularly Gwen, as her fellow African Americans are disproportionately disadvantaged to pay the fee. While Virginia struggles to negotiate a new deal, Joy bribes Dean, agreeing to keep her mouth shut if Dean teaches her how to perform abortions, which he reluctantly does. Joy eventually lets slip Dean's situation while trying to convince Virginia of her capabilities; Virginia still refuses, as Dean is still more qualified, the money helps pay for the clinic, and a botched abortion is treated as a homicide.
Virginia's new deal with Dean allows for two free procedures, and she gives one of them for Joy to do, only for Joy to discover that it is Sandra. The procedure is a success, but Charlotte follows her to the clinic and discovers the truth. Despite this, Virginia agrees to trust Joy, and has her replace Dean. Things go smoothly for a while, but eventually, one of the procedures is botched, causing the patient to bleed after the fact. A series of events tips Joy off to a police detective, who arrives at the house. Joy is forced to admit the practice to him and Will when he declares he will send a fake patient there, but tricks him into thinking the fee is active. Will is initially furious, but reconciles with her afterwards.
Joy attempts to quit to keep a low profile, causing Virginia to come to her house and plead for her return. Discovering that hundreds of women are now on the waiting list, Charlotte encourages Joy to return. She eventually compromises by agreeing to stay for a while until she can show the rest of the women the procedure, and the collective agrees. Tens of thousands of women subsequently receive the procedure, and Will successfully defends the collective in court once they are exposed, ultimately leading to the legalization of abortion nationwide. The collective is subsequently disbanded, and a party is held in celebration.
The script originally appeared on the 2017 Black List, where it received seven votes. Coincidentally, another script based on the same story, titled This is Jane by Daniel Loflin, was also featured on the same Black List, with nine votes.
It was announced in October 2020 that Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Mara and Rupert Friend had been cast to star in the film. Elisabeth Moss and Susan Sarandon had been initially cast as Joy and Virginia respectively, [5] but both had to exit due to scheduling conflicts. [6] In May 2021, Chris Messina, Cory Michael Smith, Aida Turturro, Wunmi Mosaku, Grace Edwards, and Bianca D'Ambrosio joined the cast of the film, with Friend no longer attached. [7] [8] [9] [10]
The film was shot in West Hartford, Connecticut from May and June 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. [11] [12]
It premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2022. [13] On February 4, 2022, Roadside Attractions acquired the film's distribution rights, with plans to release it theatrically in the fall. [14] It was released on October 28, 2022. [15]
The film was released for VOD on December 6, 2022, followed by a Blu-ray and DVD release on December 13, 2022. [16]
The film partnered with Planned Parenthood and the Abortion Care Network to screen at dozens of American clinics. In a statement by Nagy, the director hoped that screenings would serve as an opportunity to increase awareness around direct abortion care services in the months following the overturning of Roe v. Wade . [17]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 82% of 130 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.7/10.The website's consensus reads: "Although its focus is somewhat narrow, Call Jane is an entertaining and dramatically effective dramatization of a pivotal chapter in American history." [18] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 62 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [19]
On its opening weekend, Call Jane grossed $243,922. [20]
Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver is an American actress. Prolific in film since the late 1970s, she is known for her pioneering portrayals of action heroines in science fiction and horror films. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Grammy Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award.
Heartbreakers is a 2001 American romantic crime comedy film directed by David Mirkin and written by Robert Dunn, Paul Guay, and Stephen Mazur. The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ray Liotta, Jason Lee, and Gene Hackman. It marks the last onscreen film appearance of Anne Bancroft before her death in June 2005.
Hilarie Burton, is an American actress. A former host of MTV's Total Request Live, she portrayed Peyton Sawyer on The WB/The CW drama One Tree Hill for six seasons (2003–2009). Post One Tree Hill, Burton starred in Our Very Own, Solstice, and The List. She has also had supporting or recurring roles in television series, including her role as Sara Ellis on White Collar (2010–2013), Dr. Lauren Boswell on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy (2013), Molly Dawes on the ABC drama series Forever (2014), and Karen Palmer on the Fox television series Lethal Weapon (2016). Burton was a co-host on the Drama Queens podcast along with her former One Tree Hill co-stars, Sophia Bush and Bethany Joy Lenz until the summer of 2024.
The Flea Theater is a theater in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It presents primarily experimental theatre by Black, brown, and queer artists, as well as a venue for film stars to act on a 74-seat stage. The theater was founded in 1996 by Jim Simpson, Sigourney Weaver, Mac Wellman, and Kyle Chepulis. The Flea earned early acclaim for original productions of post-9-11 play The Guys and political works by A. R. Gurney. According to the New York Times, "Since its inception in 1996, The Flea has presented over 100 plays and numerous dance and live music performances. Under Artistic Director Jim Simpson and Producing Director Carol Ostrow, The Flea is one of New York’s leading off-off-Broadway companies."
The Jane Collective or Jane, officially known as the Abortion Counseling Service of Women's Liberation, was an underground service in Chicago, Illinois affiliated with the Chicago Women's Liberation Union that operated from 1969 to 1973, a time when abortion was illegal in most of the United States. The foundation of the organization was laid when Heather Booth helped her friend's sister obtain a safe abortion in 1965. Other women with unwanted pregnancies began to contact Booth after learning via word-of-mouth that she could help them. When the workload became more than what she could manage, she reached out to other activists in the women's liberation movement. The collective sought to address the increasing number of unsafe abortions being performed by untrained providers. Since illegal abortions were not only dangerous but very expensive, the founding members of the collective believed that they could provide women with safer and more affordable access to abortions.
Oluwunmi Mosaku is a Nigerian-born British actress. She is known for her roles as Joy in the BBC Two miniseries Moses Jones (2009) and Holly Lawson in the ITV series Vera (2011–2012). She won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Gloria Taylor in the TV film Damilola, Our Loved Boy (2016). In 2019, she starred in the fifth series of Luther. In 2020, she starred as Ruby Baptiste in HBO's Lovecraft Country, and starting in 2021, starred as Hunter B-15 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) television series Loki, and reprised the role in the 2024 film Deadpool & Wolverine.
A Map of the World is a 1999 American drama film, based on the 1994 novel by Jane Hamilton. Directed by Scott Elliott and produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, the film stars Sigourney Weaver, Julianne Moore and David Strathairn. Weaver was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her performance.
Guerrilla is a British drama television series set in early 1970s London, against the backdrop of the Immigration Act 1971 and British black power movements such as the British Black Panthers and Race Today Collective. It was written and directed by John Ridley and stars Idris Elba, Freida Pinto and Babou Ceesay in leading roles. Guerrilla debuted on Sky Atlantic on 13 April 2017 and on Showtime on 16 April 2017.
Damilola, Our Loved Boy is a British television film about the events surrounding the 27 November 2000 death of Damilola Taylor. The film aired on BBC One on 7 November 2016, and was written by Levi David Addai, directed by Euros Lyn, and starred Babou Ceesay and Wunmi Mosaku. The film received three nominations at the 2017 British Academy Television Awards, winning Best Single Drama and Best Supporting Actress for Mosaku.
Temple is a British medical crime drama television series. Created by Mark O'Rowe, and starring Mark Strong, Carice Van Houten and Daniel Mays, it is based on the Norwegian drama Valkyrien, and premiered 13 September 2019 on Sky One.
Abortion in West Virginia is illegal except in cases of rape or incest, fatal fetal abnormalities, and when the mother’s life is at risk from a pregnancy.
My Salinger Year is a 2020 drama film written and directed by Philippe Falardeau, based upon the memoir of the same name by Joanna Rakoff. It stars Margaret Qualley, Sigourney Weaver, Douglas Booth, Seána Kerslake, Colm Feore and Brían F. O'Byrne.
His House is a 2020 horror thriller film written and directed by Remi Weekes from a story by Felicity Evans and Toby Venables. It stars Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Dirisu and Matt Smith. The film tells the story of a refugee couple from South Sudan, struggling to adjust to their new life in an English town that has an evil lurking beneath the surface.
Eugene Khumbanyiwa is a Malawian South Africa-based stage, television, film and voice actor, popularly known for playing the role of Obesandjo in the 2009 Oscar nominated sci-fi hit District 9.
Alice, Darling is a 2022 Canadian–American psychological thriller film directed by Mary Nighy, in her directorial debut, from a screenplay by Alanna Francis. The film stars Anna Kendrick, Kaniehtiio Horn, Charlie Carrick, and Wunmi Mosaku.
The Gorge is an upcoming American survival action film directed by Scott Derrickson and written by Zach Dean. The film stars Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Sigourney Weaver.
We Own This City is an American crime drama miniseries based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton. The miniseries was developed by George Pelecanos and David Simon and directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. The six-episode series premiered on HBO on April 25, 2022.
Passenger is a British dark comedy-thriller television series created by Andrew Buchan in his screenwriting debut. It premiered on ITV1 and ITVX in the United Kingdom before airing on ITV on 24 March 2024.
Grace Edwards is an American actress.