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The Janes

The Janes

2022

Tia Lessin, Emma Pildes

Documentary

6.3

119

Documentary Police arrested seven women who were part of a clandestine network. Using code names, blindfolds and safe houses, they built an underground service for women seeking safe, affordable, illegal abortions calling themselves JANE.

	Author	Review
United States	Kate Erbland IndieWire	"Lessin, Pildes, and their many subjects eschew cheap emotion in favor of something much more intimate and, ultimately, more honest"	POS
United States	Guy Lodge Variety	"[It] is a standard talking-heads affair, but the participants' vivid recollections make it compelling."	POS
United States	Elizabeth Weitzman The Wrap	"It’s a shame that Lessin and Pildes don’t tell us what these amazing women went on to do after the Collective ended. But they all remain, half a century later, passionate and eloquent and thoughtful and fierce."	POS
United Kingdom	Fionnuala Halligan Screendaily	"Real life is better than fiction in The Janes (...) these women are still classy, smart company on camera today, giving an honest account of their illegal activities"	POS
United States	Sheri Linden The Hollywood Reporter	"An urgent and thoroughly engaging group portrait (...) The film’s last segment is especially robust and involving"	POS
United States	Nick Allen rogerebert.com	"'The Janes' is a peppy history lesson on this heroism, and the movement that inspired it (...) The story of the JANE collective is as vital as it ever was"	POS
United States	Radhika Menon Decider	"It is an inspiring call to arms as history is poised to repeat itself"	POS
United States	Sarah Milner SlashFilm	"As much as I love the rebellious spirit of the '60s and the music that came along with it, including these elements occasionally felt like it confused the message. There is a lot to learn from and a lot to love about 'The Janes'"	NEU
United States	Melanie McFarland Salon	"Directors Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes permeate 'The Janes' with unforced wry humor that adds a triumphant glow to a story that other filmmakers may have presented as a grim struggle"	POS
United States	Noel Murray Los Angeles Times	"What really resonates are the memories of women helping women by talking openly about the specific economic and health concerns that the male-dominated establishment typically ignored"	POS
United States	Shayna Maci Warner Paste Magazine	"Those telling their stories aren't from a completely alien era, and the knowledge that they share, in tones frank and thoughtful by turn, is incredibly valuable. A call to find and form networks in one's own community"	POS
United States	Brian Lowry CNN	"This is a beyond-timely look at the past, with an eye very much on the near future"	POS
United States	Richard Roeper Chicago Sun-Times	"The group members recall their achievements with admirable candor and great heart (...) One can't help but wonder if we'll see a new generation of Jane-type collectives springing into action (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Marya E. Gates The Playlist	"'The Janes' tells an important story of women who fought unjust laws by becoming criminals themselves, putting themselves on the line for what they knew was right"	POS
United States	Dana Stevens Slate	"'The Janes' [is] not only a crucial part of the historical record but a searingly contemporary film about the power of mutual aid and collective action"	POS

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