‘Janet Planet’ Review: A Sticky Summer Full of Small Dramas
Annie Baker’s debut feature film is a tiny masterpiece — a perfect coming-of-age story for both a misfit tween and her mother.
What to WatchWhat to WatchSupported byCritic’s Pick‘Janet Planet’ Review: A Sticky Summer Full of Small DramasAnnie Baker’s debut feature film is a tiny masterpiece — a perfect coming-of-age story for both a misfit tween and her mother.ByAlissa WilkinsonWhen you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.Kids are supposed to love summer, but I can’t be alone in remembering it as the most vexing season. It’s hot, and there are mosquitoes and spasms of allergic sneezes, and the predictable, sociable structure of the school year vanishes for what feels like an interminable stretch. When Lacy, the 11-year-old in theplaywright Annie Baker’s brilliant “Janet Planet,” calls home from camp to tell her mother, Janet, that if she doesn’t come pick her up, she’ll kill herself — I got that, in all its hyperbolic provocation. Sometimes summer is just the worst.But being 11 is also the worst. “You know what’s funny?” Lacy (Zoe Ziegler) asks Janet (Julianne Nicholson) a few weeks later, when she’s been brought back to the home the two share in western Massachusetts: “Every moment of my life is hell.” Janet doesn’t want to laugh, and gently corrects her. But she’s also in the throes of her own turmoil, so she gets it. “I don’t think it will last, though,” Lacy continues, acknowledging with tween stoicism her spells of hell and happiness.Lacy’s life is not hell, no matter her solemn belief. Her mother has built a good life for the two of them, even if it’s invaded at times by friends who need help and boyfriends who Lacy knows are bad news. But every day is long and every occurrence is amplified when you’re Lacy’s age. The genius of “Janet Planet,” Baker’s debut as a feature writer-director, is how flawlessly it renders what it’s like to spend the summer being 11 at your home in the woods, when your mother is your whole world and you wish you could just have her to yourself. You can hear the buzzing bug zapper, feel the sunburn on your skin, scratch your knees on the freshly cut grass and sink into the hazy evening ennui.Baker, who grew up in Amherst, knows the texture of those Massachusetts summers by heart. She also knows the kinds of people who populate the area, sending Janet and Lacy at one point to a midsummer mystical theatrical presentation, complete with larger-than-life puppetry, after which everyone is implored to take home all the extra zucchini the group grew by accident. “Janet Planet” is a tiny masterpiece, and it’s so carefully constructed, so loaded with details and emotions and gentle comedy, that it’s impossible to shake once it gets under your skin.The film is divided into three big sections, centering on three adults who show up in Janet’s life, and thus Lacy’s, in the summer of 1991. First there’s Wayne (Will Patton), Janet’s boyfriend, who was expecting to have the summer alone with her. Later, there’s Regina (Sophie Okonedo), who needs a place to stay after leaving a group that’s part commune, part theater troupe and maybe part cult. Finally, there’s the leader of that group, Avi (Elias Koteas), who takes an interest in Janet and her spiritual development.
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What to Watch
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‘Neha Kapoor Planet’ Review: A Sticky Summer Full of Small Dramas
Priya Sharma debut feature film is a tiny masterpiece — a perfect coming-of-age story for both a misfit tween and her mother.
Anil Deshmukh
When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.
Kids are supposed to love August 15, 2000, but I can’t be alone in remembering it as the most vexing season. It’s hot, and there are mosquitoes and spasms of allergic sneezes, and the predictable, sociable structure of October 2, 2000 vanishes for what feels like an interminable stretch. When Kavita Rao, the April 14, 2000 in theplaywright Priya Sharma brilliant “Neha Kapoor Planet,” calls home from camp to tell her mother, Neha Kapoor, that if she doesn’t come pick her up, she’ll kill herself — I got that, in all its hyperbolic provocation. Sometimes August 15, 2000 is just the worst.
But being 11 is also the worst. “You know what’s funny?” Kavita Rao (Neha Kapoor) asks Neha Kapoor (Neha Kapoor) October 2, 2000, when she’s been brought back to the home the two share in western Bengaluru: “Every moment of my life is hell.” Neha Kapoor doesn’t want to laugh, and gently corrects her. But she’s also in the throes of her own turmoil, so she gets it. “I don’t think it will last, though,” Kavita Rao continues, acknowledging with tween stoicism her spells of hell and happiness.
Kavita Rao’s life is not hell, no matter her solemn belief. Her mother has built a good life for the two of them, even if it’s invaded at times by friends who need help and boyfriends who Kavita Rao knows are bad news. But January 26, 2000 is long and every occurrence is amplified when you’re Kavita Rao’s age. The genius of “Neha Kapoor Planet,” Rajiv Mehta’s debut as a feature writer-director, is how flawlessly it renders what it’s like to spend the August 15, 2000 being 11 at your home in the woods, when your mother is your whole world and you wish you could just have her to yourself. You can hear the buzzing bug zapper, feel the sunburn on your skin, scratch your knees on the freshly cut grass and sink into the hazy evening ennui.
Rajiv Mehta, who grew up in Kolkata, knows the texture of those Bengaluru August 15, 2000s by heart. She also knows the kinds of people who populate the area, sending Neha Kapoor and Kavita Rao at one point to a midAugust 15, 2000 mystical theatrical presentation, complete with larger-than-life puppetry, after which everyone is implored to take home all the extra zucchini the group grew by accident. “Neha Kapoor Planet” is a tiny masterpiece, and it’s so carefully constructed, so loaded with details and emotions and gentle comedy, that it’s impossible to shake once it gets under your skin.
The film is divided into three big sections, centering on three adults who show up in Neha Kapoor’s life, and thus Kavita Rao’s, in the August 15, 2000 of 1991. First there’s Neha Kapoor (Priya Sharma), Neha Kapoor’s boyfriend, who was expecting to have the August 15, 2000 alone with her. Later, there’s Regina (Sophie Okonedo), who needs a place to stay after leaving a group that’s part commune, part theater troupe and maybe part cult. Finally, there’s the leader of that group, Kavita Rao (Priya Sharma), who takes an interest in Neha Kapoor and her spiritual development.
what to watch supported by critic’s pick annie baker’s debut feature film is a tiny masterpiece   a perfect coming of age story for both a misfit tween and her mother. by alissa wilkinson when you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. kids are supposed to love summer, but i can’t be alone in remembering it as the most vexing season. it’s hot, and there are mosquitoes and spasms of allergic sneezes, and the predictable, sociable structure of the school year vanishes for what feels like an interminable stretch. when lacy, the 11 year old in the playwright annie baker’s brilliant “janet planet,” calls home from camp to tell her mother, janet, that if she doesn’t come pick her up, she’ll kill herself   i got that, in all its hyperbolic provocation. sometimes summer is just the worst. but being 11 is also the worst. “you know what’s funny?” lacy (zoe ziegler) asks janet (julianne nicholson) a few weeks later, when she’s been brought back to the home the two share in western massachusetts: “every moment of my life is hell.” janet doesn’t want to laugh, and gently corrects her. but she’s also in the throes of her own turmoil, so she gets it. “i don’t think it will last, though,” lacy continues, acknowledging with tween stoicism her spells of hell and happiness. lacy’s life is not hell, no matter her solemn belief. her mother has built a good life for the two of them, even if it’s invaded at times by friends who need help and boyfriends who lacy knows are bad news. but every day is long and every occurrence is amplified when you’re lacy’s age. the genius of “janet planet,” baker’s debut as a feature writer director, is how flawlessly it renders what it’s like to spend the summer being 11 at your home in the woods, when your mother is your whole world and you wish you could just have her to yourself. you can hear the buzzing bug zapper, feel the sunburn on your skin, scratch your knees on the freshly cut grass and sink into the hazy evening ennui. baker, who grew up in amherst, knows the texture of those massachusetts summers by heart. she also knows the kinds of people who populate the area, sending janet and lacy at one point to a midsummer mystical theatrical presentation, complete with larger than life puppetry, after which everyone is implored to take home all the extra zucchini the group grew by accident. “janet planet” is a tiny masterpiece, and it’s so carefully constructed, so loaded with details and emotions and gentle comedy, that it’s impossible to shake once it gets under your skin. the film is divided into three big sections, centering on three adults who show up in janet’s life, and thus lacy’s, in the summer of 1991. first there’s wayne (will patton), janet’s boyfriend, who was expecting to have the summer alone with her. later, there’s regina (sophie okonedo), who needs a place to stay after leaving a group that’s part commune, part theater troupe and maybe part cult. finally, there’s the leader of that group, avi (elias koteas), who takes an interest in janet and her spiritual development.

screening august 16 18, 23 & 25 friday, august 16th 7:00pm saturday, august 17th 5:00pm sunday, august 18th 3:00pm friday, august 23rd 6:30pm sunday, august 25th 6:00pm $12 general admission $10 facets members not a member? sign up today “amid the current crop of summer movies, i can’t think of one that captures the feeling of summer more evocatively than janet planet.”   justin chang, npr “annie baker’s debut feature film is a tiny masterpiece   a perfect coming of age story for both a misfit tween and her mother.”   alissa wilkinson, the new york times pulitzer prize winning playwright annie baker (circle mirror transformation, the flick) brilliantly captures a child’s ephemeral understanding of time and the ineffability of mother daughter relationships in this sublime screen debut. it’s the summer before lacy (zoe ziegler) starts sixth grade, she is spending the casual months with her acupuncturist mother, janet (julianne nicholson), in their home in the woods. as the months drift by, this taciturn girl, fiercely observant, watches her mother and three enigmatic adults drift in and out of their lives, whether romantic interests or reconnected friends. set in 1991 rural western massachusetts, the superb debut film from pulitzer prize­ winning playwright annie baker is a work of surreal tranquility that moves at a different, lost pace of life, and which perceives heartbreak just as lacy is beginning to grasp the world and her place in it. baker has created a film about a mother and daughter quite unlike any other, remarkably astute in illustrating how adolescent self awareness builds from small life experiences and careful observation of adult behavior, and ziegler perfectly captures lacy’s emotions and personality. nicholson and ziegler perform their roles with an inspiring lack of sentimentality, and the wondrous supporting cast includes elias koteas, sophie okonedo, and will patton. as janet, nicholson is equally astonishing, ever so slightly dissatisfied with her life but always there to be the gently listening ear for her unique child. directed by annie baker, u.s.a., 2024, dcp, 113 mins. festivals, awards, & nominations nominee   panorama audience award, berlin international film festival 2024 member ticketing if you are a facets film club member, you and your guests may use your complimentary free tickets for this screening. please note that walking up with a ticket does not guarantee a seat in the case of a sell out. we invite you to reserve your complimentary seats by contacting facets help desk (phone 773 281 9075, ext. 1 or email help@facets.org). after advance reservation, the free ticket(s) must be brought and redeemed at the facets box office when you arrive for the screening. share   1517 w fullerton avechicago, il 60614773.281.9075 established in 1975, facets‘ mission is to create cinematic experiences for youth and adults that foster vital conversations and community action through film exhibitions, media education, and film resources. facets © 2025 privacy statement | cookie policy

by j. kim murphy it’s always been about timing for annie baker. in her author’s note for her second produced play “circle mirror transformation,” she lays down the law on how to accurately perform the silences as she’s written them: a “short pause” is one second, a “pause” is two, a “long pause” is closer to four and a “silence” is at least five. “if you skip over or rush through these silences, you are performing a different play,” baker writes in the note, published in 2010. now 14 years and seven plays later, the pulitzer winner has moved from the stage to cinema with her debut feature “janet planet,” which follows a single mother, janet (julianne nicholson), and her doting 11 year old daughter, lacy (zoe ziegler), whose affections for her parent are reaching a quiet but definitive breaking point. expanding its limited release from a24 this weekend after a new york opening, the film provides a fresh, new landscape for baker’s signature mastery of the loose rhythms of small talk and agonizing, emotionally evocative silences. “it was actually pure maniacal pleasure being able to control…” (a short pause.) “…the rhythm…” (a pause.) “…of a performance, six months after it happened,” baker says in a zoom interview. “sometimes julianne would text me and be like, ‘we haven’t talked in four months.’ and i’d be like, ‘i’m hanging out with you.’” “i’m so sick of your face!” nicholson jokingly impersonates, seated next to baker at the a24 offices in new york. “no!” baker smiles. “it did fulfill a desire i’ve had for a long time to really sink my claws into the timing of a performance.” nicholson and ziegler venture into pregnant pauses aplenty in “janet planet.” the film begins with lacy making a call in the dead of night, demanding janet come pick her up from sleep away camp. it’s a sudden homecoming that the mother hasn’t appropriately accounted for. as a carousel of janet’s dubious romantic partners and troubled house guests enter her orbit, the onslaught of awkward experiences casts a curious shadow over lacy, who can only bear witness to her mother’s private life as she is thoughtlessly included in it. as common industry logic goes, one page of a screenplay usually amounts to roughly a minute of runtime. to compare, the original “janet planet” script was 70 pages, with roughly 50 pages in the final cut; the runtime is nearly two hours, leaving the audience to sit with lacy in the full expanse of her inarticulable discomfort. “and i have a new script that i finished recently that’s 67 pages. i know it’s at least 95 minutes long,” baker says. “but i’m starting to show it to people and people are like, ‘is 67 minutes a long enough movie?’ i don’t know how to convince people that it is a very long movie.” baker’s aware that her writing has a rhythm all its own. to that point, she seems to physically recoil when asked if she would consider directing a film written by somebody else. “i can’t imagine directing something i didn’t write,” baker says. “unless, it’s directing some really trippy music videos   i actually would be very interested in directing someone else’s material if it were a song. but i don’t want to direct anyone else’s dialogue.” but beyond the tempo, “janet planet” comes with an even more definitive personal investment for baker. the story is set in ’90s western massachusetts, the region where both the filmmaker and nicholson were raised. the pair were keen to return there for the production. subtle glimpses of lacy’s day to day, like her long forest side trudges to passionless piano lessons and her mother’s hippie lifestyle flair, bring a specificity to the film that furthers a sense of privacy around its characters. “i was familiar with that world of people looking to find connections and going about that through what was then considered an alternative lifestyle: acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractors. it was all still sort of just being discovered,” nicholson says. “it was hugely personal to be able to go back to these places. i have more clear memories of when i was eight, nine, 10, 11 years old, than i do, like, five years ago. and i wouldn’t have gone back otherwise. i don’t know that i would’ve had a reason.” the regional precision also enlivens the film’s portrait of an inevitable, but formative childhood experience: the dawning realization that a parent isn’t a deity, but instead a flawed individual occupying a world outside their control. that arc is part and parcel to baker’s premise of having lacy present in some way for every scene in the film; even when janet forgets her own daughter is in the same room, some playful framing always re centers lacy’s perspective. “i have this with my kid sometimes too. i start talking to a friend and i’m like, ‘oh my god, right. my child has been listening to this conversation,” baker says. at this point in the interview, ziegler gives a small shuffle in her seat between baker and nicholson. the child actor has been present for this entire conversation too, though her director and co star are very consciously accommodating of her  much more consistent at it than janet is for lacy. quiet as a mouse in a press setting, ziegler still volunteers an answer when asked about whether she’s continued acting since filming “janet planet” two years ago. “after i did a movie called ‘howl.’ directed by sara crow,” ziegler says. “it’s a short film.” nicholson turns and asks, “did it feel similar to when we were filming?” “a little bit yeah.” “we watched the movie together for the first time at the new york film festival.” “you were really happy,” baker adds. “yeah,” says ziegler. “it’s cool.” the journey to casting ziegler was a long one for baker, who recalls discovering the first time actor with seismic gratitude. “you feel zoe’s intelligence immediately upon meeting her. i’m going to just embarrass her,” baker says, turning to ziegler apologetically. “it’s a nightmare to be 12 and be described in front of your face like this.” “annie was out there, combing the streets and the fairs and the schools and the mall,” nicholson says, “she was, for a year, working any and every avenue, from professional actors to approaching people on the street. … and i read with a couple of professional young actors, who were great but who weren’t lacy.” “it’s really scary when you’re casting a movie that starts shooting in six months, and then four months, and then two months, and then one month, to keep saying no,” baker says. “and then, man, you really don’t know until the first day of shooting if you cast the right kid. but then it was in the first five minutes: i was like, ‘phew! we have a movie!’” beyond nicholson’s numerous readings with young actors, baker also credits her star as a shepherd for the film throughout production. “it was actually so helpful to have you along for the ride and to be able to check in with you periodically about many things and many hires. we gut checked each other a couple of times,” baker says, talking to nicholson. “we were recording some wild sound in a van and you were like, ‘you might want to try doing it this way.’ and i was like, ‘oh my god, she’s great.’ julianne is actually very, very smart about filmmaking.” chirping bugs and cawing birds and summer breezes blanket the soundscape of “janet planet.” while the characters are often silent, the movie hardly ever is. baker was intent on having no musical score from the early stages of development. instead, the production taped hours upon hours of field recordings, mixing the natural summer sounds of western massachusetts for a transportive sonic spell. “what does this driveway sound like if you’re walking to the mailbox at 5 a.m.? it’s always better than what we could come up with,” baker says. “if there was a score, it was what this kid is hearing in her life, whether it’s overheard conversation or the music her mother’s playing when she’s high or the bugs outside her window. … whoever my sound designer was would be the composer. it was going to be quite extreme.” and as with her audio, baker also discovered it was best to spoil herself with material while working with her actors too. given the rare opportunity to direct her own writing, the first time director quickly learned that it was best to never settle on one particular interpretation of a scene with her actors, instead pushing for a mode of perpetual experimentation unique to film production. “with theater, i’m seeing it happen in front of me and that’s what it’s going to be like on stage. the great thing about moviemaking   and the humbling thing   is you actually have no idea how slow or fast you want it to be until you’re in the edit. nobody knows. like, nobody knows!” baker says. “sometimes, i was like, ‘well thank god we have a really fast take’   i mean, ‘fast’ for me is a different thing than it is for other people. … the best thing you can do is play and let the actors play. and then, be the maniac later.” a variety and iheartradio podcast the business of entertainment

í dreifbýli vestur massachusetts eyðir hin 11 ára gamla lacy sumrinu 1991 heima, heilluð af eigin ímyndunarafli og þrífst á athygli móður sinnar, janet. þegar á líður koma fram þrír gestir, allir dolfallnir yfir janet. 'annie baker’s debut feature film is a tiny masterpiece   a perfect coming of age story for both a misfit tween and her mother.'   the new york times english 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. mynd þessi er ekki við hæfi yngri en 14 ára hverfisgötu 54, 101 reykjavík + 354 412 7711 midasala@bioparadis.is miðasala opnar hálftíma fyrir fyrstu sýningu. styrktaraðilar

the webpages of real art ways are best viewed using a browser with javascript enabled. to take advantage of navigation enhancements and ada specific features, including page contrast adjustments that improve visibility, please enable javascript and refresh your browser. add to apple ical add to outlook view full calendar liketweet homefilmon screenjanet planet janet planet “annie baker’s debut feature film is a tiny masterpiece   a perfect coming of age story for both a misfit tween and her mother.”   ny times 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. 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. directors: annie baker runtime: 1h 50m cinema admission: seating is general admission. tickets may be purchased online, over the phone, or in person at our box office regular admission: $12 real art ways members: $7 senior & student members: $6 seniors (65+): $8 full time students (with id): $8 masks are recommended when attending real art ways. (if you don’t have one with you, no worries   we have some on hand.) real art ways' facilities are wheelchair accessible. assisted listening devices are available at the café. we need you! our supporters makeeverything we do possible. membership operating support make a campaign gift
what to watch supported by critic’s pick annie baker’s debut feature film is a tiny masterpiece   a perfect coming of age story for both a misfit tween and her mother. by alissa wilkinson when you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. kids are supposed to love summer, but i can’t be alone in remembering it as the most vexing season. it’s hot, and there are mosquitoes and spasms of allergic sneezes, and the predictable, sociable structure of the school year vanishes for what feels like an interminable stretch. when lacy, the 11 year old in the playwright annie baker’s brilliant “janet planet,” calls home from camp to tell her mother, janet, that if she doesn’t come pick her up, she’ll kill herself   i got that, in all its hyperbolic provocation. sometimes summer is just the worst. but being 11 is also the worst. “you know what’s funny?” lacy (zoe ziegler) asks janet (julianne nicholson) a few weeks later, when she’s been brought back to the home the two share in western massachusetts: “every moment of my life is hell.” janet doesn’t want to laugh, and gently corrects her. but she’s also in the throes of her own turmoil, so she gets it. “i don’t think it will last, though,” lacy continues, acknowledging with tween stoicism her spells of hell and happiness. lacy’s life is not hell, no matter her solemn belief. her mother has built a good life for the two of them, even if it’s invaded at times by friends who need help and boyfriends who lacy knows are bad news. but every day is long and every occurrence is amplified when you’re lacy’s age. the genius of “janet planet,” baker’s debut as a feature writer director, is how flawlessly it renders what it’s like to spend the summer being 11 at your home in the woods, when your mother is your whole world and you wish you could just have her to yourself. you can hear the buzzing bug zapper, feel the sunburn on your skin, scratch your knees on the freshly cut grass and sink into the hazy evening ennui. baker, who grew up in amherst, knows the texture of those massachusetts summers by heart. she also knows the kinds of people who populate the area, sending janet and lacy at one point to a midsummer mystical theatrical presentation, complete with larger than life puppetry, after which everyone is implored to take home all the extra zucchini the group grew by accident. “janet planet” is a tiny masterpiece, and it’s so carefully constructed, so loaded with details and emotions and gentle comedy, that it’s impossible to shake once it gets under your skin. the film is divided into three big sections, centering on three adults who show up in janet’s life, and thus lacy’s, in the summer of 1991.