Elizabeth Banks stars in 'Call Jane,' a fictionalized account of the real-life Chicago collective that provided abortions to women prior to Roe v. Wade.
Joy is an opaquely written character, a housewife who is never able to fully express her own wants, needs and desires. Banks, working with limited material, delivers a distinctive and stealthily effective performance, using Joy’s inexpressiveness as a character trait. She plays Joy as withdrawn and soft-spoken.
After Joy’s abortion, Virginia recruits her as a volunteer driver, and Joy is drawn to providing care to women in their time of need. She starts by comforting them during the procedure, eventually assisting the doctor, before finally demanding he teach her how to perform abortions herself.
Greta Zozula’s cinematography offers a period-appropriate warmth and grain to the film, and some unusual compositions make it visually fascinating at times. But there’s also the unshakeable sense that something went awry in the edit, as certain suspenseful yet inexplicable moments are ushered in without fanfare and abruptly dropped, like a visit from an undercover cop that goes to unexpected places, and then nowhere else.
The ending is abrupt, glossing over the real-life 1972 raid with an unexplained mention in passing. As the women celebrate the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision, which renders their operation obsolete, the tone is frankly jarring. Though “Call Jane” debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2022, months before the Supreme Court overturned the landmark decision in June, it’s surprising that the film was not amended, at least with text at the end, to address that.
“Call Jane” offers a heartening message about the long, ongoing legacy of women helping other women access abortion healthcare, legal or not. Though the film is politically and culturally urgent, it’s too much of a challenge to connect with the void of character at the core of this screenplay. We may all have the power to be Jane, but the image of Jane remains frustratingly hazy in Nagy’s depiction.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘Felony Lane Gang’: women accused of using stolen IDs at banks wanted in Norwalk, police say“The Felony Lane Gang targets unoccupied vehicles for ‘smash and grab’ thefts, stealing purses, and then using those stolen IDs and credit cards to commit more crimes,” police described. “They typically use women to cash the checks, often using the farthest drive-thru lane to avoid detection, which is where the ‘Felony Lane Gang’ gets its name from.”
Read more »
Australian CPI Preview: Forecasts from seven major banks, vindicating the RBA’s dovish approachAustralian Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures are due on Wednesday, October 26 at 00:30 GMT and as we get closer to the release time, here are forecas
Read more »
EXCLUSIVE China FX regulator surveys banks about positioning as yuan plunges - sourcesChina's foreign exchange regulator sent a survey to some banks late on Monday asking them about their positioning in the currency market, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
Read more »
BOC Preview: Laser-focus on whether central banks will 'pivot'Analysts at Goldman Sachs offer a sneak peek at what to expect from Wednesday’s Bank of Canada (BOC) interest rate decision. Key quotes 'This week's B
Read more »
WTI rebounds from $84.00 ahead of EIA data, central banks’ policies remain keyWest Texas Intermediate (WTI), futures on NYMEX, have rebounded after dropping to near $84.00 in the Tokyo session. The oil prices corrected in the la
Read more »