| The Janes | |
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| Distributed by | HBO Max |
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Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
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.
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]
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]
