The Janes

Last updated

The Janes
Directed by
Produced by
  • Emma Pildes
  • Jessica Levin
  • Daniel Arcana
Distributed by HBO Max
Release date
  • 8 June 2022 (2022-06-08)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Janes is a 2022 American documentary film. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2022, and was released on HBO Max on June 8, the month after a leaked draft opinion for Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization was released, starting protests across the United States. [1] [2] The film was directed by Emma Pildes and Tia Lessin.

Contents

Summary

The Janes tells the story of members of the Jane Collective, a group of women who performed approximately 11,000 abortions in Chicago between 1968 and Roe v. Wade , the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in 1973. The film features interviews from several members of the collective. [3]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 66 reviews and an average rating of 8.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Frighteningly timely and powerfully persuasive, The Janes offers a unique opportunity to look back at a pivotal chapter in American history through the eyes of those who helped define it." [4] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 81 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [5]

Judy Berman of Time called the film "essential viewing for a post-Roe America". [6] Sophie Gilbert of The Atlantic commented that "the lesson from The Janes is that, in the absence of justice and political power, there's enormous potential for collective action." [7] Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press rated the film 3.5 stars out of 4, stating that "Lessin and Pildes do a masterful job of putting the Janes in historical context." [8] Doreen St. Félix of The New Yorker stated that "the palette is sober, and the filmmaking itself is recalcitrant, in service always of its tremendous story." [9]

The film was on the shortlist for the 95th Academy Awards. [10] It won an Emmy in the category of Best Documentary at the 44th News and Documentary Emmy Awards. [11]


Related Research Articles

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.

<i>Ghosts of Abu Ghraib</i> 2007 film

Ghosts of Abu Ghraib is a 2007 documentary film, directed by Rory Kennedy, that examines the events of the 2004 Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal. The film premiered January 19, 2007, at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

Tia Lessin is an American documentary filmmaker. Lessin has produced and directed documentaries and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary and the Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Documentary.

<i>After Tiller</i> 2013 American film

After Tiller is a 2013 documentary film directed by Martha Shane and Lana Wilson that follows the only four remaining doctors in the United States who openly perform abortions in the third trimester of pregnancy. In 2015, After Tiller won the News and Documentary Emmy Award for Best Documentary. The title of the film refers to George Tiller, a doctor who performed abortions and was murdered in 2009.

Trapped is a 2016 documentary film about doctors who perform abortions in some states in the United States who have been fighting against so-called "TRAP laws" that have been enacted in their states. The film was directed by Dawn Porter, and premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, where it won a special jury social impact prize. The clinics the film focuses on are mostly located in the South, where there have been a higher number of anti-abortion laws enacted than in any other region of the United States. It was released theatrically on March 4, 2016 in New York City and Washington, DC. It aired on PBS's Independent Lens in June, 2016.

<i>Jim: The James Foley Story</i> 2016 American film

Jim: The James Foley Story is a 2016 American documentary film about the life of journalist and war correspondent James "Jim" Foley, directed by Brian Oakes. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2016, and on HBO on February 6, 2016.

<i>The Tale</i> 2018 film by Jennifer Fox

The Tale is a 2018 American drama film written and directed by Jennifer Fox and starring Laura Dern, Ellen Burstyn, Jason Ritter, Elizabeth Debicki, Isabelle Nélisse, Common, Frances Conroy, and John Heard. It tells the story about Fox's own childhood sexual abuse and her coming to terms with it in her later life. It premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and aired on HBO on May 26, 2018. It was nominated for numerous awards, including Emmys, Golden Globes, Critics' Choice, Spirit, and Gotham Awards.

<i>Reversing Roe</i> 2018 American documentary on abortion laws in America

Reversing Roe is a 2018 American documentary film directed by Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg. Through interviews, the film analyzes the abortion laws in the United States and the effects of the 1973 Roe v. Wade case. The film is internationally distributed by Netflix, where it was released on September 13, 2018.

<i>The Mole Agent</i> 2020 film

The Mole Agent is a 2020 internationally co-produced documentary film directed by Maite Alberdi. It was screened at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition. At the 93rd Academy Awards, It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and was selected as the Chilean entry for Best International Feature Film, making the shortlist of fifteen films.

City So Real is an American documentary miniseries directed by Steve James, revolving around the 2019 mayoral election in Chicago, Illinois, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and social upheaval following the murder of George Floyd. It consists of 5 episodes and premiered on October 29, 2020, on National Geographic.

<i>Call Jane</i> 2022 American film

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. 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.

<i>Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind</i> 2020 American film

Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind is an American documentary that premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. It premiered on HBO Max on May 5, 2020, and is available to stream on Hulu and other streaming platforms. It was directed by Laurent Bouzereau and produced by Nedland Media, Amblin Television, and HBO Documentary Films. Producers include Bouzereau, Manoah Bowman, and Wood's daughter Natasha Gregson Wagner. It is rated TV-14.

<i>Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street</i> 2021 American documentary film

Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street is a 2021 American documentary film directed by Marilyn Agrelo.

<i>In the Same Breath</i> 2021 documentary film by Nanfu Wang

In the Same Breath is a 2021 documentary film directed and produced by Nanfu Wang. It follows how the Chinese and American governments reacted to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

<i>Jane Fonda in Five Acts</i> 2018 American film

Jane Fonda in Five Acts is a 2018 American documentary film, directed by Susan Lacy. It revolves around the life and career of Jane Fonda.

<i>Navalny</i> (film) 2022 American film

Navalny is a 2022 American documentary film directed by Daniel Roher. The film revolves around Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and events related to his poisoning. It was produced by HBO Max and CNN Films. The film premiered on January 25, 2022 at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received critical and audience acclaim and won the Audience Award in the US Documentary competition and the Festival Favorite Award. It also won the Best Documentary Feature at the 95th Academy Awards, won the award for Best Political Documentary at the 7th Critics' Choice Documentary Awards and picked up best documentary at the 76th BAFTA awards ceremony.

Phoenix Rising is an American documentary miniseries directed and produced by Amy J. Berg. It follows Evan Rachel Wood as she tells her story of alleged domestic violence and her campaign for justice. It aired on March 15–16, 2022, on HBO.

<i>All That Breathes</i> Internationally co-produced documentary

All That Breathes is a 2022 documentary film directed by Shaunak Sen. It is produced by Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer under the banner of Rise Films. The film follows siblings Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad, who rescue and treat injured birds in India.

The Princess is a 2022 British documentary film about Diana, Princess of Wales, directed by Ed Perkins. The film is produced by Lightbox in association with Sky and HBO Documentary Films.

<i>Plan C</i> (film) 2023 American documentary film

Plan C is a 2023 American documentary film produced and directed by Tracy Droz Tragos. The film centers around ongoing grassroots efforts to provide access to abortion across the United States through the distribution of abortion pills in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.

References

  1. ↑ Cooper, Carlie (June 10, 2022). "The True Story Behind HBO Max's "The Janes" Documentary". Oprah Daily. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  2. ↑ Lodge, Guy (January 25, 2022). "'The Janes' Review: A Stirring Documentary Account of the Trailblazing Underground Abortion Network". Variety. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  3. ↑ Linden, Sheri (January 28, 2022). "'The Janes': Film Review | Sundance 2022". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 6, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  4. ↑ "The Janes". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  5. ↑ "The Janes". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  6. ↑ Berman, Judy (June 8, 2022). "'The Janes' Is Essential Viewing for a Post-Roe America". Time. Archived from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  7. ↑ Gilbert, Sophie (June 30, 2022). "What a Story of 1970s Abortion Activism Can Teach Us Today". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on November 6, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  8. ↑ Kennedy, Mark (June 7, 2022). "Review: Timely 'The Janes' doc looks at secret abortions". Associated Press . Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  9. ↑ St. Félix, Doreen (July 8, 2022). ""The Janes" and the Power of Pro-Abortion Imagery". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  10. ↑ "95TH OSCARS® SHORTLISTS IN 10 AWARD CATEGORIES ANNOUNCED". Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences . July 8, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  11. ↑ "'The Janes' Wins Best Documentary at the 44th Annual Documentary Emmy Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. September 28, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.