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Call Jane

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Call Jane

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Summary

In 1960s Chicago, a married woman must turn to an underground organisation of women to help end her life-threatening pregnancy. Director Phyllis Nagy's drama based on a true story, starring Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver

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Review

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

David Parkinson

Chicago in 1968 is the setting for this poignant, if insufficiently potent drama from Phyllis Nagy, the Oscar-nominated writer of Carol. Elizabeth Banks plays Joy, the model housewife who has a mid-pregnancy diagnosis of a heart condition that gives her only a 50% chance of surviving until she has gone to full term. When her doctors seem willing to risk her life for her unborn baby, Joy calls a number she sees by chance on a flyer, which gets her in touch with the Jane Collective, an organisation that provides illegal but safe abortions. Joy meets their leader, Virginia (Sigourney Weaver) and acolytes like Black Power activist Gwen (Wunmi Mosaku) and Catholic nun, Sister Mike (Aida Turturro). The 60s trappings are spot on, while the performances are uniformly excellent. The timing of the movie, which arrived in the wake of the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v Wade, is spot-on, but its focus on Joy's radicalisation seems to ignore the bigger story of the Collective itself and the risks it took to help women take fewer risks with their own bodies.

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6.5/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameJoyElizabeth Banks (2)VirginiaSigourney WeaverWillChris MessinaGwenWunmi MosakuLanaKate MaraDeanCory Michael Smith

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Crew

rolenameDirectorPhyllis Nagy

Details

Theatrical distributor

Vertigo

Released on

2022-11-04

Languages

English

Guidance

Swearing, sexual references, drug abuse

Formats

Colour

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