A Dreamy Summer Haze: ‘Janet Planet’ Review
In the languidly charming debut feature from playwright Annie Baker, we’re transported to rural Massachusetts in the summer of 1991. The film unfolds in a dreamy, indulgent haze, halfway between rapture and torpor, as we follow the increasingly fraught holiday of 11-year-old Lacy and her single mother, Janet.
Summer vibes
Annie Baker, the Pulitzer-winning dramatist, brings her signature subtlety and indirectness to the film, veiling the characters’ passions, fears, and grievances. The performances are strong, particularly Julianne Nicholson as Janet, who has recently completed her training as an acupuncturist and now has a practice funkily branded ‘Janet Planet’.
The ancient art of acupuncture
Janet’s daughter Lacy, played by newcomer Zoe Ziegler, hates summer camp and makes a plaintive payphone call to come home, and thus begins her intimate witness to her mother’s tricky boyfriends and friends. There’s Wayne, prone to histrionic migraines; Regina, an actor who may or may not be fully supportive of Janet’s needs; and Avi, the theatre troupe leader slash guru, a bearded blowhard who winds up coming around to try to date Janet.
A summer of love and heartache
As the film drifts and eddies its way to an unresolved-chord of an ending, we’re left pondering the flawed and compromised relationship between Lacy and her mother. Will they ever find a way to connect, or will their bond remain forever elusive?
A mother-daughter bond on the rocks
‘Janet Planet’ is a beautifully presented, if slightly emotionally reticent, film that showcases Annie Baker’s unique voice and vision. While it may not be to everyone’s taste, fans of indie cinema will find much to appreciate in this languid summer haze of a film.
