Synopsis
Directors: Tia Lessin, Emma Pildes
Producers: Emma Pildes, Daniel Arcana, Jessica Levin
101 min, U.S. 2022
Chicago 1968. Abortion is illegal; women are fighting for equality; and hospitals are filling up with victims of terminated pregnancies gone wrong. Enter the Jane Collective. In this inspiring account of the legendary underground network, filmmakers Tia Lessin (Trouble the Water) and Emma Pildes (Jane Fonda in Five Acts) chronicle this intrepid group of young activist women as they evade both the cops and the mob to help others gain access to safe and affordable care. Capturing their courage and conviction and the high-stakes suspense of their work, the film vividly charts the rise of their clandestine operations, complete with code names and safe houses, all the way to their capture in 1972. “Rousing (Variety), “revelatory” (Screen Daily), and “triumphant” (RogeEbert.com), The Janes is “urgent, and thoroughly engaging” and “unfortunately, very much of the moment” (The Hollywood Reporter). Courtesy of HBO Documentary Films.