Photo by Wilson Webb. Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
Phyllis Nagy’s “Call Jane” is fatefully relevant, and almost painfully so. Not because the film is bad… but more because the timing is either terrible or brilliant, and I can’t decide which.
Joy (Elizabeth Banks) is having another baby. She and her husband, Will (Chris Messina), and teenage daughter, Charlotte (Grace Edwards), couldn’t be happier about this, although Joy’s dizzy spells seem to be a distant concern—until she faints and they discover the problem is much more serious. The doctor tells her that her pregnancy is affecting her health, and she has a 50% chance of surviving labor. The best solution to this problem, he says, is to not be pregnant. But, unfortunately, the board at the hospital will not let her have an emergency abortion.
So, Joy decides to take matters into her own hands. She tries to convince doctors to help her, and even the receptionist suggests taking a tumble down some stairs. But, finally, Joy discovers a flier on the street that says, “Pregnant? Anxious? Get help! Call Jane.” And she does.
And so we are introduced to the Jane Collective, the real-life organization that existed from 1969 to 1973, until Roe v. Wade made their services unnecessary. Jane is an underground organization of women who help others get abortions. And Joy’s journey throughout the film is a rough estimate of what the actual Jane Collective did. The story is fascinating, and there are already countless films about it—documentary and dramatized. So what makes “Call Jane” stand out? It certainly has more big names, with Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver heading the bill. But a star-studded cast isn’t the driving factor, somehow, in a film like this.
There aren’t too many twists and turns in the story of the Jane Collective. The women manage to do exactly what they set out to do. But here’s the strange thing about this film: since its premiere at Sundance in January, the context has completely changed. In the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, one has to wonder what the cinematic experience would have been like without the resulting dread of this development as context.
Honestly, it probably would have faded into the background more than it does now. The end of the film almost feels too on the nose, with everyone clapping for a victory made, but then how else would a film about the Jane Collective end? With today’s context, however, the ending feels much more emotional, with a sad twist of irony. And that was just the complexity a film like this needed.
“Call Jane” is worth the watch, and maybe it will do some good in putting our own times into context. The film will play this October at Midtown Cinema.
Midtown Cinema is located at 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.midtowncinema.com.
October Events At Midtown Cinema
Saturday Morning Cartoons
Saturday, Oct. 1, 10 a.m.
Down in Front Presents
“A Night to Dismember”
Friday, Oct. 14, 9:30 p.m.(ish)
National Theatre Live
“Frankenstein”
Sunday, Oct. 16, 5 p.m.
3rd in the Burg Movie Night
“Hocus Pocus” (1993)
Friday, Oct. 21, 9:30 p.m.
Vidjam of Horror
Sunday, Oct. 23
Moviate Presents
Sunday, Oct. 30
Special Halloween Screenings
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)
Friday, Oct. 7, 9:30 p.m.
“Friday the 13th” (1980)
Saturday, Oct. 8, 9:30 p.m.
“Halloween” (1979)
Sunday, Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m.
“Psycho”
Saturday, Oct. 15, 1 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
“Evil Dead” Triple Feature
Sunday, Oct. 16
“The Evil Dead,” 3 p.m.
“Evil Dead II,” 5:15 p.m.
“Army of Darkness,” 7:30 p.m.
“Hocus Pocus” (1993)
Saturday, Oct. 22, 11 a.m.
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)
Saturday, Oct. 22, 9:30 p.m.
“Halloween” (1979)
Sunday, Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m.
“Friday the 13th” (1980)
Friday, Oct. 28, 9:30 p.m.
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975)
Saturday, Oct. 29, 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
“Scream” Marathon
All five “Scream” films
Sunday, Oct. 30, beginning at 12 p.m.
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)
Monday, Oct. 31, 7 p.m.
“Friday the 13th” (1980)
Monday, Oct. 31, 7:15 p.m.
“Halloween” (1979)
Monday, Oct. 31, 7:30 p.m.
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