How does a girl perceive her mother? Lucy is facing that reality in the new film “Janet Planet.” Set in the early ‘90s, this coming-of-age film highlights how complicated the relationship can be. The A24 film hails from Annie Baker, who previously wrote an episode of the Prime Video series “I Love Dick.”
The Playlist’s Gregory Ellwood noted the connection between Baker’s direction and Maria von Hausswolf’s cinematography, calling it “exquisite.” “Whether it’s a close-up of a dangling earring or Janet getting swept up in line dancing, the perspective is always intentional,” he wrote after its 2023 Telluride premiere. “ And, most importantly, the pair conjure an aesthetic that is grounded in nature and touched with only a hint of childhood wonder.”
“Janet Planet” stars Julianne Nicholson and Zoe Ziegler as the mother/daughter pair. Nicholson was last seen in the acclaimed horror comedy “Dream Scenario.” She also drew raves for her performance in “Mare of Easttown.”
The film’s official synopsis:
“In rural Western Massachusetts, 11-year-old Lacy spends the summer of 1991 at home, enthralled by her own imagination and the attention of her mother, Janet. As the months pass, three visitors enter their orbit, all captivated by Janet and her spellbinding nature. In her solitary moments, Lacy inhabits an inner world so extraordinarily detailed that it begins to seep into the outside world. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker captures a child’s experience of time passing and the ineffability of a daughter falling out of love with her mother in this singularly sublime film debut.”
Elias Koteas, Sophie Okonedo, and Will Patton also star in “Janet Planet.” The film arrives in theaters June 21, 2024. Watch the new trailer below.