Melbourne International Film Festival Review - Janet Planet

 

“I’ve always had this knowledge that I could make any man fall in love with me if I really tried. I think it’s ruined my life.”

Hazy, relaxed and sensitive, Janet Planet is a strangely sweet summery saga spent seeing a single mother’s relationships through the eyes of her precocious daughter in a thoughtful, reserved and intimate film that ruminates upon the big questions in life and how out of place we may feel in the bigger picture. 

Discussion Points:

What a delightfully sweetly strange little film. Much like Lacy, the film is a little offbeat and a little weird. Raised by her hippie acupuncturist single mother Janet, Lacy, played wonderfully by Zoe Ziegler, explores a world of young womanhood as she sees her own mother’s relationships and friendships over the course of one summer in 1991. I didn’t always connect with the film and yet for every oddly surreal or strangely transcendent moment, there are frequently relatable authentic moments of youth and wisdom. The core relationship between Lacy and Janet allows for some beautiful moments of love and learning. Julianne Nicholson is a patient mother trying to do her best with a daughter who’s struggling to belong, struggling to connect, and struggling to grow up. Lacy is deeply attached to her mother, and whilst she loves meeting the new people who come into her mothers orbit, there’s also a reticence to let her go out of a fear of losing her attention to others. Told in three chapters following three different people who enter Janet’s life, debut director and celebrated playwright Annie Baker is able to tell a story that is subdued yet impactful - highlighted by its closing moments as Janet freely moves from partner to partner at a barn dance as Lacy looks on from the side. Lacy both wants to grow up to be like her mom whom she idolises, and is hesitant to embrace her freewheeling lifestyle. It’s a poignant reflection on coming-of-age and finding one’s place in the world, and the realisation that finding such a place is a lifelong journey to navigate.