Playwright Annie Baker has already experienced tremendous success on the stage, having won a Pulitzer Prize for her play The Flick and a MacArthur Genius Grant for “mining the minutiae of how we speak, act, and relate to one another and the absurdity and tragedy that result from the limitations of language.” This philosophy is incredibly evident in her subtly moving film debut Janet Planet, which offers an invigorating take on familiar beats and ideas.
Janet Planet follows an introverted 11-year-old girl, Lucy, who spends the summer with her mother Janet, as they spend time with three people who affect them in profoundly different ways. It’s an incredibly restrained, unfussy film that refuses to pander to the audience in narrative or exposition, but it does reward patience in incredible ways.
Janet Planet is a subtle, moving directorial debut
The movie takes place in essentially three acts, as three different characters come and go in Lucy and Janet’s lives. Baker’s background as a playwright is perhaps most evident here, as it lends the film an almost theatrical structure. However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it does serve the pacing by almost lulling the audience into experiencing these events through the eyes of the protagonist.
The themes Janet Planet explores about growing up and childhood are hardly groundbreaking, but Baker brings such authenticity to the story and characters that the movie feels refreshing nevertheless. Although the story Baker tells is set in an incredibly specific culture and is evocative of an incredibly specific time, she successfully makes the audience connect with the film.
A significant factor in the film’s success is the empathy with which Baker approaches her characters. She shows an impressive willingness to engage with their complexities, realizing that their actions are not always likable but taking extreme care not to villainize or shame them for their decisions. With this, a movie that could have, in less deft hands, been something bleak and cynical instead becomes something strangely hopeful.
Julianne Nicholson turns in career-best work as the eponymous mother. Those in the know have been keeping a close eye on her for years, and she won an Emmy for her work in Mare of Easttown, but her role in Janet Planet allows her to show a vulnerability that is virtually unrivaled by her peers. There’s just so much humanity in her performance that every single thing she does feels authentic.
However, the true heart of Janet Planet is young actress Zoe Ziegler, who makes a tremendously auspicious debut. If there’s one word to describe Zeigler’s turn, it’s precocious, as it shows an incredible command of the emotional through-line. She shows her character’s growth in such subtle but powerful ways, allowing her performance to evolve alongside the text.
Nicholson and Ziegler are also supported by three solid performances in Will Patton, Sophie Okonedo, and Elias Koteas. All are acclaimed character actors, and they bring this quality to their roles in Janet Planet. Each gets a few scenes in which they have an opportunity to shine, but they wisely realize that their main purpose is to complement the leads, so they cede the spotlight.
The most surprising thing about Annie Baker’s directorial debut, though, is how successful it is on an aesthetic level. Considering her reputation in the theatre, one would expect no less than mastery in the screenwriting and performance aspects. However, the fact that the movie is equally beautiful to look at as it is in storytelling is an impressive feat. This is not a chamber piece whatsoever; Baker utilizes the cinematic medium in several exciting ways.
Is Janet Planet worth watching?
Thanks to all of this, Janet Planet is one of the more successful transitions of a playwright to the screen in recent memory. The theatre world already knew that Annie Baker was a tremendous talent, but with her film debut, she proves that she has incredible chops — regardless of what medium she works in. Whether it’s on the screen or on stage, this critic will be seated for whatever Baker does next.
Janet Planet hits theaters on June 21.
8/10
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