The Janes (Movie)
When an Abortion Story Is Told as a Caper, Thriller or Farce
In 1969, when abortion was illegal in Illinois, an underground operation arose in Chicago. Officially called the Abortion Counseling Service of Women’s Liberation, it became known as the Jane network, because women seeking abortions were told to call a number and “ask for Jane.” As I watched “The Janes,” an HBO documentary about the service, […]
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Summer Movies 2022: ‘Jurassic World,’ ‘Thor’ and ‘Nope’
Here is a select list of noteworthy films scheduled this summer. Release dates and platforms are subject to change and reflect the latest information as of deadline. June AFTER BLUE (DIRTY PARADISE) The director Bertrand Mandico’s “The Wild Boys” found a small cult of fans. (In a 2018 review for The Times, Bilge Ebiri described […]
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Sundance Film Festival: ‘Nanny’ Leads a Parade of Scares
When a character took a severed human leg out of a fridge in the horror movie “Fresh,” I laughed then hit pause. I had that luxury because, like everyone else this year, I didn’t have to fly to Utah for the Sundance Film Festival but attended this impressively sanguineous edition at home. So I just […]
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At Sundance, Two Films Look at Abortion and the Jane Collective
Judith Arcana was 27 and recently separated from her husband when she began driving women surreptitiously for safe — but illegal — abortions. The year was 1970, she was an out-of-work teacher on the South Side of Chicago, and she was spending her days counseling women in need. “I don’t think we were crazy,” said […]
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