EXCLUSIVE: Clay Epstein’s Film Mode Entertainment (FME) has bolstered its slate for the virtual European Film Market (EFM) with several fresh titles.
22.01.2022 - 07:31 / deadline.com
A suburban housewife falls in with a group of activists in Call Jane, a Sundance Film Festival premiere directed by Phyllis Nagy, the writer of Carol. Elizabeth Banks is a likeable lead in this story inspired by the network of women who arranged safer illegal abortions in 1960s and ’70s Chicago. Written by Hayley Schore and Roshan Sethi, it strikes an upbeat, non-judgmental note while exploring the gender and body politics of the time.
Banks plays Joy, a smart, pregnant mother who helps her lawyer husband Will (Chris Messina) with his work, while assuming the duties of a traditional homemaker. After Joy collapses, the doctor discovers a medical condition that could be life-threatening if her pregnancy continues — but their petition for a “therapeutic termination” is denied by the all-male board. Desperate, Joy sees a flyer saying, “Pregnant? Anxious?… Call Jane.” She’s gradually drawn into the underground “Jane” collective lead by Virginia (Sigourney Weaver), who arranges abortions for those in need. After assisting the doctor, Dean (Cory Michael Smith), Joy gets more involved than she ever imagined, while keeping it a secret from her husband, daughter (Grace Edwards) and best friend (Kate Mara).
There are tense, disturbing moments in Call Jane, such as when Joy enters the medical room for her procedure. She’s terrified, fully conscious and told to keep quiet while Dean wields instruments and explains exactly what he’s going to do with them. But this is not the squirm-inducing trauma of the likes of Mike Leigh’s Vera Drake, or the more graphic awards contender Happening. Once Joy has recovered, we’re shown the procedure several more times, each one accompanied by a more brisk, routine tone that’s either jarring or
EXCLUSIVE: Clay Epstein’s Film Mode Entertainment (FME) has bolstered its slate for the virtual European Film Market (EFM) with several fresh titles.
Elisabeth Moss becomes an investigator in the first look at her latest series, Shining Girls.
Roadside Attractions has scooped up the U.S. rights to “Call Jane,” the period piece abortion drama that stars Elizabeth Banks and made its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this year.
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Elisabeth Moss portrays a woman tackling deep trauma in the upcoming Apple TV+ series, Shining Girls, premiering on April 29. The first teaser, above, was released in conjunction with the show’s CTAM panel on Friday.
Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaRoadside Attractions has acquired U.S. distribution rights to “Call Jane,” a historical drama about a group of women working to provide access to safe abortions.The film debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, premiering at a time when the Supreme Court is debating Roe v.
Roadside Attractions is taking U.S. distribution rights to Oscar-Nominee Phyllis Nagy’s theatrical feature directorial debut, Call Jane. A theatrical release is planned for the film this year.
Elisabeth Moss is digging into the past in a mind-bending new series for Apple TV+.The actress leads , an eight-episode thriller that will launch Friday, April 29 with its first three episodes, the streaming service announced Friday. Subsequent episodes will drop weekly on Fridays.Based on the novel by Lauren Beukes, the series follows Kirby Mazrachi (Moss), a Chicago newspaper archivist whose journalistic ambitions were put on hold after enduring a traumatic assault.
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In the film, Banks plays Joy, a smart wife and assistant to her lawyer-husband who discovers that she has been diagnosed with a rare condition that could kill her if she carries her unborn baby to term. But when her abortion is denied by an all-male medical board, she finds refuge with a group of women involved in The Jane Collective, an underground group secretly providing abortions in Chicago.The Jane Collective was a service that ran from 1969 until 1973 when the Roe v.
Consider these scenarios: A woman who is unable to get an abortion even though she has a life-threatening condition because of her pregnancy. Women banding together to run underground abortion clinics because the procedure is illegal in their city or state.
Peter Debruge Chief Film CriticThere are a whole lot of cigarettes in “Call Jane,” a detail — along with flip bob hairstyles and polyester pantsuits — that demonstrates director Phyllis Nagy’s commitment to the late-’60s period, even as it shows that the movie isn’t trying to tell women what to do with their bodies. Inspired by true events, this Sundance-blessed abortion drama takes place more than 50 years ago, but it could hardly be more timely today, as the Supreme Court considers several cases with the potential to roll back the freedoms granted by Roe v.
Gregg Goldstein What brings documentaries to life? For an increasing number of them, it’s colorful characters — literally. Animation is making docs more accessible to a wider audience, allowing filmmakers to dramatize scenes that can’t be shown with footage and bringing them into once-unimagined awards categories.No film has demonstrated this more clearly than Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s refugee saga “Flee.” The Neon/Participant release made Oscar shortlists for both documentary feature and international feature film, won a Gotham Award for documentary and Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary.