⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5)
It’s 1991, and 11-year-old Lacy (Zoe Ziegler) s determined to escape camp, where she’s convinced her bunkmates don’t like her and instead spend as much time with her mother as possible. A charismatic, forthright acupuncturist and single parent living in the woods of Massachusetts, Janet (Julianne Nicholson) loves her daughter but finds her clinginess increasingly burdensome. Over the summer, as Janet connects and reconnects with other adults – a boyfriend, an old friend, a new friend of sorts – Lacy’s vivid imagination helps her come to terms with her mother’s and her impending womanhood.
The latest from A24, Janet Planet, is a delightfully and 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 (Julianne Nicholson), Lacy, played wonderfully by newcomer Zoe Ziegler, explores a world of young womanhood as she sees her own mother’s relationships and friendships throughout one summer in 1991. Whilst audiences may not always connect with the film. 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 struggling to belong, connect, and grow up. Lacy is deeply attached to her mother, and whilst she loves meeting the new people who come into her mother's orbit, there’s also a reticence to let her go out of 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 collaborating with cinematographer Maria von Hausswolff, who shoots on 16mm, can tell a story that is subdued yet impactful - highlighted by the films closing moments as Janet freely moves from partner to partner at a barn dance as Lacy looks on from the side. Lacy wants to be like her mom, whom she idolises. Still, she is hesitant to embrace her freewheeling lifestyle. It’s a poignant reflection on coming of age, finding one’s place in the world, and the realisation that finding such a place to navigate this is a lifelong journey.
Reel Dialogue: Who is God?
In Janet Planet, Lacy’s mum comes into the orbit of a charismatic spiritualist named Avi (Elias Koteas). He teaches lessons drawn from Buddhism and other Eastern philosophies and religions. Around the dining table, Avi tells Lacy to “remember- you are god.” Their spiritualist goes on to explain how we belong to the universe, are part of it, and thus govern it. It’s an esoteric concept that Lacy seems to be skeptical of but also intrigued and comforted by.
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. - 1 Timothy 2:5
The Bible doesn’t teach that we are gods. It teaches very much the opposite - that God is God and we are not. But it does teach that we are made in God’s image. And because we are His image bearers, we are invited to govern Creation and serve Him as our Creator. It also teaches that we can’t save ourselves through our efforts because we are not gods; instead, we need a Saviour who is both God and man who can truly save us.
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