A Subtle Drama with a Powerful POV from a Child’s Perspective
Annie Baker, the filmmaker behind “Janet Planet,” is a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, with this being her debut, but you wouldn’t guess the film was made by a playwright as you watch.
While most playwrights that make the switch to film are regaled for their pension for a ton of, and focus on, really great dialogue, Baker chooses a much more sparse and subtle approach, with the dialogue almost coming elliptically, but really landing when she does turn to it.
This choice vibes perfectly with the fact that the movie is pretty much told from the perspective of Lacy, an 11 year old girl, as she spends the summer of 1991 with her mother, the titular Janet. And it’s through Lacy’s eyes that the movie almost becomes about Janet, and her struggles to establish her own identity and rationalize her own life decisions amidst bad relationships, awkward friendships, and being a single mom. Janet and Lacy almost seem to be embarking on the same journey of self-discovery, with Baker showing that personal development is truly a constant process, and self-identity is something that may never be totally concrete, nor independence/dependence on our loved ones. To see all of this so gently told from Lacy’s perspective makes “Janet Planet” a fascinating and unique watch.