Move over Furiosa and Quiet Place: Day One, because a little indie film called Janet Planet looks to be the movie of the summer.
The critically acclaimed drama, which has been called “sublime” by online moviegoers, is the directorial debut of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker.
The two-hour drama stars Julianne Nicholson as Janet, a single mother whose 11-year-old daughter Lacy has returned home early from camp and is spending the summer at her home in Massachusetts.
The coming-of-age film follows Lacy’s struggle to share her mother with new romantic partners and friends, with ForbesFilm critic Scott Phillips describes Janet’s relationship with her daughter as “often spousal-like.”
The film, which premiered on June 21, is produced by A24, the independent entertainment company that released Priscilla, Midsommar and Moonlight.
Pictured: Julianne Nicholson, left, and Zoe Ziegler in a scene from the coming-of-age film Janet Planet
Since its release, the film has gained a cult following on X, formerly known as Twitter.
One of them gushed: ‘Annie Baker’s Janet Planet is a sublime masterpiece. I’ll be watching it for the rest of my life.’
“A film about something for which there is no word but should exist: the experience of being young and trying to understand how safe you feel being part of the world.”
Another added: “It was really cool. I left there with a strange euphoria.”
Meanwhile, a third said the film should belong to its own genre, which they called “securityism.”
On the film review website Letterboxd, another fan of the film spoke about the lasting impact Janet Planet has had on them.
They wrote: ‘I’ll probably buy the Blu Ray and watch the first 25 minutes a thousand times over the next few years.
“I don’t think anything on film has ever captured, or ever will, what I felt as a kid to myself as well as this.”
Since its release last month, the film has gained a cult following on X, formerly known as Twitter.
On the movie review website Letterboxd, other fans of the film spoke about the lasting impact Janet Planet has had on them.
Another chimed in: “Living in this movie for the foreseeable future.” What a beautiful film.
‘The perfect comedic timing. It made me feel nostalgic for my younger self and also recognize my current self at the same time.’
When the film premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival last year, The GuardianAdrian Horton wrote in a four-star review: ‘That’s life: it’s not always the most interesting, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful.
“You never know what will stick with you, but I hope something in this movie does.”
Meanwhile, StylistMeg Walters added: ‘Janet Planet is ultimately a doomed love story about the painful realisation that our parents are not entirely ours, that there are whole worlds inside them that we cannot understand.
Pictured: Filmmaker and playwright Annie Baker, left, with actress Julianne Nicholson on the set of Janet Planet.
«For Lacy, Janet is really as big and unknowable as a planet.»
NPR critic Justin Chang He also wrote a glowing review, arguing: ‘One of the film’s most subtle achievements is the way it clues us into Janet’s perspective, yet keeps her at a distance.
“Most of the time we study Janet through Lacy’s eyes, and what is striking is the way Baker captures the girl’s sense of growing disillusionment: that intensely specific moment when a girl begins to see even a loving father in a clear and not always new and flattering light.
Speaking to The setting of the filmJulianne talked about filming Janet Planet and some of the non-verbal scenes.
She explained: ‘I was excited about this. Especially because I trust Annie (the director) absolutely. I’ve seen a lot of her plays and I know she knows what to do with the silence, with the in-between moments. I think it’s fun because you can’t prepare. So for me that’s exciting, in terms of moment to moment.’
