First look at Carol writer’s latest film, Call Jane
Carol writer Phyllis Nagy directs female-driven Call Jane.
Chicago, 1968. As the city and the nation are poised on the brink of political upheaval, suburban housewife Joy (Elizabeth Banks) leads an ordinary life with her husband and daughter. When Joy’s pregnancy leads to a life-threatening heart condition, she must navigate an all-male medical establishment unwilling to terminate her pregnancy in order to save her life. Her journey for a solution leads her to Virginia (Sigourney Weaver), an independent visionary fiercely committed to women’s health, and Gwen (Wunmi Mosaku), an activist who dreams of a day when all women will have access to abortion, regardless of their ability to pay. Joy is so inspired by their work, she decides to join forces with them, putting every aspect of her life on the line.
Inspired by true events, Nagy’s film captures the essence of late-Sixties social change via one woman’s quest to get a safe and legal abortion.
Call Jane is directed by Phyllis Nagy, written by Haley Schore and Roshan Sethi, and stars Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver, Chris Messina, Kate Mara, Wunmi Mosaku, Cory Michael Smith.
In her director’s statement Nagy explains: “Telling this story through the point of view of an ordinary woman who finds herself in rather extraordinary circumstances and denied all personal choice at a critical time guided my year of careful reshaping and crafting of an already fine script to reflect an intensely political narrative that doesn’t take place in a political arena, per se, but which scene by scene shifts the idea of what political arena is—or could be.
Exploring the sobering and painful factual history of choice in America while honoring the remarkable contributions of women like the ‘Janes’ also demanded a careful tone, while at the same time recognizing that fact and truth sometimes are mutually exclusive.”
Call Jane is in theaters on October 28.
