The Janes

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1 hr. 41 min.

Documentary

History

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100%

67 Reviews

Tomatometer

69%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

In the spring of 1972, police raided an apartment on the South Side of Chicago. Seven women were arrested and charged. The accused were part of a clandestine network. Using code names, blindfolds, and safe houses to protect their identities and their work, they built an underground service for women seeking safe, affordable, illegal abortions. They called themselves Jane.

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Critics Consensus

Frighteningly timely and powerfully persuasive, The Janes offers a unique opportunity to look back at a pivotal chapter in American history through the eyes of those who helped define it.

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Actress H

I'm baffled. I think this doc got such great reviews because the characters are so sympathetic and the issue is timely but damn is it boring. My wife and I fell asleep. What a slog. It's so formulaic.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/07/23

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William P

great topic but movie gets boring as it's too reliant on talking head very conventional, formulaic interviews

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

11/24/22

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mike s

It was hard to stomach. Hard to turn it off. To think that people could be that heartless. I can't even imagine how a culture could get that cold. We are living in a time when the love of mothers has waxed cold. It's frightening. Mothers are supposed to be protectors and mother bears and yet some have turned into wolves in sheep's clothing, devouring their young. If you have an empathy and love for children and life, it's very hard to watch.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Kim Z

An important and balanced look at the history of abortions and the necessity for a woman's right to choose.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/25/22

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maureen c

It's so good to see women helping women, especially during the times where extreme patriarchy rules and it's all about masculinity. It's so empowering to see these Jane members do what they could do. It's so good and, unfortunately, more timely than ever. My only wish is that they could have interviewed 2 or 3 more people who are willing to talk about their abortion at the hands of Jane.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

An excellent documentary about a group of young women in the mid '60s who started helping women obtain safe abortions.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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The Janes: Trailer 1

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Judy Berman

TIME Magazine

Through individual interviews, a composite image forms of a society touched on every level by half its population’s lack of bodily autonomy.

Dec 14, 2022

Full Review

Doreen St. Felix

New Yorker

You don’t watch The Janes for aesthetic pleasure. The palette is sober, and the filmmaking itself is recalcitrant, in service always of its tremendous story. But there is one moment I found indelible...

Dec 8, 2022

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Sophie Gilbert

The Atlantic

The lesson from The Janes is that, in the absence of justice and political power, there's enormous potential for collective action.

Jun 30, 2022

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Sarah Vincent

Cambridge Day

The film excels at conveying a chaotic era, enlisting archival footage and interviews with Jane members, medical providers and a reluctant, gentle-giant abortionist.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 16, 2023

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Sarah Boslaugh

TheArtsStl

Since many women in the United States are essentially living in a pre-Roe world these days, this film couldn’t be more timely...

Rated: 8/10

Jan 3, 2023

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Pat Mullen

POV Magazine

The Janes nevertheless assembles important voices to put an essential story on the record. Ignore any apparent hastiness in the delivery, for it’s too late to return to the way things were before.

Dec 14, 2022

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Synopsis

In the spring of 1972, police raided an apartment on the South Side of Chicago. Seven women were arrested and charged. The accused were part of a clandestine network. Using code names, blindfolds, and safe houses to protect their identities and their work, they built an underground service for women seeking safe, affordable, illegal abortions. They called themselves Jane.

Director: Tia Lessin, Emma Pildes
Executive Producer: Susan Lacy, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller
Production Co: HBO Documentary Films, Pentimento Productions
Genre: Documentary, History
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 8, 2022

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