''Janet Planet'' is a 2023 American

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

written and directed by

Annie Baker Annie Baker (born April 1981) is an American playwright and film director. She is known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning play ''The Flick'' (2013). She has written a string of plays which are set in the fictional town of Shirley: '' Body Awareness' ...

in her directorial debut. It stars

Julianne Nicholson Julianne Nicholson (born July 1, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the film '' August: Osage County'' (2013) and the television series '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' (2006–2009), '' Masters of Sex'' (2013–2014), ...

, Zoe Ziegler,

Elias Koteas Elias Koteas (; ; born March 11, 1961) is a Canadian actor who has performed in lead and supporting roles in numerous films and television series. He won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film '' Ararat'' (20 ...

Will Patton William Rankin Patton (born June 14, 1954) is an American actor. He starred as Colonel Dan Weaver in the TNT science fiction series '' Falling Skies''.Sophie Okonedo Sophie Okonedo (born 11 August 1968) is a British actress and narrator. The recipient of a Tony Award, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, three BAFTA TV Awards, an Emmy Award, two Laurence Olivier Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. She ...

. It follows a single mother and her young daughter who navigate their complex relationship in 1990s rural

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. The film had its world premiere at the

50th Telluride Film Festival The 50th Telluride Film Festival took place between August 31 and September 4, 2023, in Telluride, Colorado. Marking the fiftieth edition of the festival, Alfonso Cuarón, Adam Curtis, Ethan Hawke, Rachel Kushner, Steve McQueen, and Mira Nair ...

on September 1, 2023, and was given a

limited theatrical release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few cinemas across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...

in the United States on June 21, 2024, by

A24 A24 Films LLC, commonly referred to as A24, is an American Privately held company, independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. The studio is based in Manhattan. The company ...

. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised Baker's direction and screenplay, as well as Ziegler's performance. At the 40th Independent Spirit Awards, it earned three nominations: Best First Feature, Best First Screenplay, and

Best Cinematography The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best ...

Plot

In 1991, Lacy is an 11-year-old girl who lives in

western Massachusetts Western Massachusetts, known colloquially as "western Mass," is a region in Massachusetts, one of the six U.S. states that make up the New England region of the United States. Western Massachusetts has diverse topography; 22 colleges and univ ...

with her single mother Janet, an

acupuncturist Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which thin needles are inserted into the body. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience; the theories and practices of TCM are not based on scientifi ...

with whom she is extremely close. At

summer camp A summer camp, also known as a sleepaway camp or residential camp, is a supervised overnight program for children conducted during the summer vacation from school in many countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer residential camps ...

, Lacy calls her mother at night and matter-of-factly tells her that she will kill herself if she doesn't pick her up, but regrets the decision after a friendly interaction with two of her fellow campers. Janet is first shown dating Wayne, a taciturn middle-aged man prone to odd behavior and

migraines Migraine (, ) is a complex neurological disorder characterized by episodes of moderate-to-severe headache, most often unilateral and generally associated with nausea, and light and sound sensitivity. Other characterizing symptoms may includ ...

. Although Lacy befriends Wayne's daughter, Sequoia, after a trip to the mall, she dislikes Wayne himself. During one of his migraines, Lacy pesters Wayne until he charges at her; later, Janet asks her what to do, and Lacy suggests that she break up with Wayne. After breaking up with Wayne, Janet and Lacy attend a performance by a troupe of actors led by Avi, a charismatic

spiritual leader Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

who lives with his troupe in a commune. Janet recognizes one of the actors as an old friend of hers named Regina, who leaves the commune for unknown reasons and moves in with Janet. Lacy is friendlier with the free-spirited Regina than she was with Wayne, but tensions begin to rise between Janet and Regina over matters such as rent money and unspecified mistakes Janet made in her past. Eventually, Avi visits and takes Regina back to the commune, soon striking up his own relationship with Janet. On the first day of sixth grade, Lacy is stricken with headaches; despite her mistrust of

antibiotics An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting pathogenic bacteria, bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the therapy ...

, Janet acquires them from a pharmacy for Lacy's sake before going on a date with Avi. They hike and have a picnic, and he reads her poetry. However, mid-sentence, he disappears, and Janet drives back home alone. Lacy recovers from her illness and begins attending middle school. In the fall, Janet takes Lacy to a

contra dance Contra dance (also contradance, contra-dance and other variant spellings) is a form of folk dance, folk dancing made up of long lines of couples. It has mixed origins from English country dance, Scottish country dance, and French dance styles in ...

, where she freely moves between partners. Lacy is asked by a woman if she wants to dance to which she shakes her head no. She watches her mother from a distance. Her mother then disappears and Lacy smiles.

Cast

as Janet, an

hippie * Zoe Ziegler as Lacy, Janet's 11-year-old daughter *

as Avi, a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

group leader *

Sophie Okonedo Sophie Okonedo (born 11 August 1968) is a British actress and narrator. The recipient of a Tony Award, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, three BAFTA TV Awards, an Emmy Award, two Laurence Olivier Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. She ...

as Regina, Janet's friend *

Will Patton William Rankin Patton (born June 14, 1954) is an American actor. He starred as Colonel Dan Weaver in the TNT science fiction series '' Falling Skies''.50th Telluride Film Festival The 50th Telluride Film Festival took place between August 31 and September 4, 2023, in Telluride, Colorado. Marking the fiftieth edition of the festival, Alfonso Cuarón, Adam Curtis, Ethan Hawke, Rachel Kushner, Steve McQueen, and Mira Nair ...

. It also screened at the

2023 New York Film Festival The 61st New York Film Festival took place between September 29 to October 15, 2023, presented by Film at Lincoln Center. Todd Haynes' romantic drama '' May December'' was the "Opening Night Film" of this year edition, while Sofia Coppola's biogra ...

. and was screened at the

74th Berlin International Film Festival The 74th annual Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale, took place between 15 and 25 February 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong'o was named the Jury President for the main competition. This ye ...

in the Panorama section in February 2024. The film was released in the United States on June 21, 2024.

Critical response

Filmmakers

Joanna Arnow Joanna Arnow is an American filmmaker and actress best known for writing, directing and starring in the 2023 film '' The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed''. Early life and education Arnow was raised in Brooklyn and studied fil ...

R.J. Cutler R. J. Cutler (born 1962) is an American filmmaker, documentarian, television producer and theater director. His work includes the documentary films ''The War Room'', '' A Perfect Candidate'', ''Thin'', ''The September Issue'', ''The World Accord ...

Lena Dunham Lena Dunham (; born May 13, 1986) is an American writer, director, actress, and producer. She is the creator, writer, and star of the HBO television series '' Girls'' (2012–2017), for which she received several Emmy Award nominations and two G ...

, and

Savanah Leaf Savanah Leaf (born 24 November 1993) is a British-American film director and video artist. '' Earth Mama'', her BAFTA-winning debut feature length film, was produced by A24 and Film4, and premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Her directori ...

all cited ''Janet Planet'' as one of their favorite films of 2024.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title 2023 films 2023 directorial debut films 2023 independent films 2020s English-language films A24 (company) films BBC Film films 2020s American films American drama films American independent films English-language drama films English-language independent films Films set in 1991 Films about mother–daughter relationships Films about theatre Films set in Massachusetts Films shot in 16 mm film Films directed by Annie Baker Films with screenplays by Annie Baker Stage 6 Films films