There were a few common storylines that ran throughout the Sundance Film Festival this year. Eco-consciousness and Black trauma in White America were a couple of notable standouts. Another undeniably sensitive topic that connected a handful of films (like Happening and Call Jane) is abortion–or more specifically, highlighting a woman’s right to choose. Recent political and public debate over this subject only increased the timeliness of Emma Pildes and Tia Lessin’s historical documentary, The Janes.
The opening sequence of the film plays like a standard talking heads interview setup. Notably, though, it’s missing the score. With no music to aid in relieving tension, we’re left to ingest all of the horrifying statistics and personal anecdotes that are boldly shared by a handful of brave women. The decision to not include any music during this scene makes a huge impact on the story and prepares us for the psychological and emotional hardship that is to come.
The rest of The Janes follows a pretty familiar documentary structure, strewn with facts and personal asides. In the 1960s, abortion wasn’t part of standard medical practice. Abortion was a crime. Young women literally had to turn to the mob to get an illegal abortion in dingy motel rooms, left to bleed and care for themselves post-operation. Some women were assaulted by rogue male doctors AFTER they got their abortion, but couldn’t say anything to authorities because the procedure was illegal in the first place. And for those who claim that protection would solve the problem, women in the film recall that law at the time that you had to be married to get access to birth control (a bit counterintuitive if you ask me). Some women found a workaround by buying fake rings to get contraceptives for themselves.
Those are only a few of the many horrifying tales discussed in The Janes. The heaviness of the past (and horror that history could repeat itself) is slightly relieved as we learn more about the women behind “Jane” and the impact they’ve had on so many young women’s lives. JANE is the anonymous pseudonym for the Chicago-based underground network of women who provided safe abortions for people in need. They were both an unlicensed medical facility and a support group for women with nowhere else to turn. Their heroism and bravery in the face of total injustice are admirable, to say the least.
In a stunning mix of archival and present-day footage, co-directors Emma Pildes and Tia Lessin craft a powerful portrait of strength and resilience. It’s incredible–in both the positive and negative sense–that over 50 years later, we’re still having the conversation around a woman’s body and her right to choose. However, The Janes is another step in the long-treaded journey towards progress and activism.
1 hour 41 minutes.
