Review: The Characters In Timely PreRoe Abortion Drama ‘Call Jane Never Feel Like People
Are you Joanna?
That question Chicago native Joy (Elizabeth Banks) keeps asking as she dials a number on a flyer, she is picked up in a car blindfolded and taken to a nondescript office, where she performs an illegal but safe abortion out of indifference. The Doctor (Corey Michael Smith) was taking care of an eclectic group of women at the time. No one in this group is Jane, but they are all Jane, a common alias that protected her identity, using it in the years prior to Rowe vs. sink. In Calling Jane, written by Hayley Shore and Roshan Seti, director Phyllis Nagy (Oscar-nominated screenwriter Carol) crafts an unconventional autobiography not of a real person, but of a collective Jane.
that "Jane" was an alias, an avatar, is part of the "Cool Jane" issue where all fictional characters are Joey; Virginia (Sigourney Weaver), the group's mastermind; Husband Joey Will (Chris Messina); his daughter (Grace Edwards); Neighbor Lana (Kate Mara) - never feels like real people, but in fact they are avatars, just agents or devices to enhance the storyline.
Joy is a boldly written character, a housewife who can never fully express her wants, needs, and desires. Working with a limited amount of material, Banks delivers distinctive and subtly effective work, using a carefree lack of expression as a personality trait. She plays Joy as distant and sweet. Despite her humble appearance, Joey slips discreetly into twisted beards laden with an ambivalent sense of the injustice of her position, whether it's her husband complaining about frozen bread or a group of angry, cartoony white doctors serving their own justice who refuse to take a "therapeutic pause." "... a life-threatening pregnancy.
After Joey's miscarriage, Virginia hires her as a volunteer driver, and Joey is committed to taking care of women in their time of need. She begins by comforting her during the procedure and eventually helping the doctor before finally asking him to teach her how to perform abortions herself. It's all part of Jane's group history, which was once again detailed in this year's documentary Janes, which aired on HBO Max.
It often feels like Call Jane offers a great overall cast, as opposed to the superficial story and underdeveloped characters, fuzzy psychology, and blurry backgrounds. As Jane's wives argue about who to help, things seem empty and the dialogue seems more like a topic of conversation than a real human discussion. Nagy's strength as a director lies in her patience with delicate scenes. As Joy goes through the procedure, every step and every tone is carefully crafted, and in the quiet but tense moments between Joy and Will, an unspoken narrative vibrates between them.
Greta Zozola's cinematography lends the film an age-appropriate warmth, and some offbeat compositions make it visually appealing at times. But there's also an unrelenting sense that something is wrong with the mod, when inexplicable but inexplicable moments appear without fanfare and suddenly disappear like an undercover cop (John Magaro) who goes to unexpected places and then goes nowhere. .
The end was abrupt, canceling the actual 1972 heist with an inexplicable passing mention. While the women were doing Roe v. Wade in 1973, which made surgery obsolete, the tone was frankly gloomy. Although Jane's Call 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 wasn't cut off without subtitles at the end to address this issue.
"Call Jane" conveys a hopeful message about the long and enduring legacy of women helping other women access abortion care, legal and other. While the film is politically and culturally relevant, connecting with the empty character at the heart of this story is a big challenge. We can all be Jane, but Jane's image remains very blurry when it comes to representing Naji.
Cathy Walsh is a film critic for the Tribune News Service.
This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
