This film is part of Rentals
Call Jane
Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver star in this confident directorial debut from Carol screenwriter Phyllis Nagy about a network of women providing safe abortions in 1960s America.
Director: Phyllis Nagy
Overview
It’s 1968, five years before the landmark ruling in Roe v Wade, and abortion is not yet a constitutional right in America. When suburban housewife Joy (Elizabeth Banks) is denied a termination for a pregnancy that threatens her life, she seeks the help of ‘Jane’, an underground network led by Sigourney Weaver’s no-nonsense Virginia, who provide safe abortions for women in need. Joy’s subsequent feminist awakening forms the film’s main arc, but its real pleasures – and its power – lie in its depiction of community and resistance across social and political divides. At a time when access to abortion in America is under threat, Call Jane is an urgent reminder of the freedoms once again at stake.
Screened at BFI London Film Festival 2022.
abortion theme, sex references, drug misuse, strong languageRelated
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