FilmSnobReviews

Title: The Seven Faces of Jane
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Director: Julian Acosta, Gia Coppola, Gillian Jacobs
Starring: Gillian Jacobs, Joel McHale, Sybil Azur
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins

What It Is: Jane (Jacobs) sees herself getting into one various situation after another. After dropping her daughter off at summer camp Jane starts to experience new things in her life. New relationships, the rekindling of old ones, and an overall change to her existence. As she goes through this she finds herself listening to and letting in…herself. A surreal journey of beauty and light. One woman’s existential crisis is seen through many different prisms.

What We Think: Gillian Jacobs is absolutely excellent here. Even when this devolves into a sloppy mess. This messy production is probably due to all the different directors taking over segments of this. When this film has it figured out as it does in certain segments it’s such a beautiful piece of existential exposition. At times the camera shot we’re presented is so damned pretty. Individually working as art pieces one at a time. Still, the life segment of a woman’s every changing moment and for her part, Gillain Jacobs embraces it all. There’s an almost poetic nature to the writing here. Equal parts urban soliloquy and modern digest of feminine exploration Jane’s problems seem like they could be any woman’s problems.

Our Grade: B-, This is one of those times where the sum of the parts is better than the whole. Being a pseudo-anthology of sorts works in its favor when it comes to the purely emotional experience you, and Jane are going through together but as an entire narrative piece it doesn’t always work. It hits more than it misses so for that I can happily recommend this unique cinematic experience. Thanks to the Bentonville Film Festival for sharing their slate this year. This is a great one from them.