4 star thought provoking and unnerving teen thriller.
Jane is a 2023 American thriller written and directed by Sabrina Jaglom in her extremely impressive feature directorial debut.
It is available to stream on UK Digital Platforms from 13th February 2023 courtesy of 101 Films.
“Life is a precious gift and you have so much of it ahead of you. If you’re ever feeling lost or hopeless, please talk to someone.”
Olivia (Madelaine Petsch – Riverdale, Sightless) is a schoolgirl just entering her senior year of high school. Seemingly well adjusted and organised, the perfect life she portrays hides the fact that she is struggling to deal with the death of her best friend Jane (Chloe Yu) by suicide.
She is starting to reconnect with their old friend Izzy (Chloe Bailey – Last Holiday, Chloe x Halle), however Izzy is beginning to move on and Olivia feels a little isolated. She is also throwing everything she can into securing a place at Stanford University, a dream she shared with Jane.
She’s holding everything together until a transfer student, Camille (Nina Bloomgarden – Good Girl Jane) arrives at the school.
As ambitious as Olivia and keen to make an impression, Camille makes it quite clear that she wants to take over from Olivia as head of the debating team, something which could damage her college application. Discussing what to do with Izzy, they decide to dig up some dirt to put her in her place.
They decide to do this using social media, and when they make the discovery that they can access Jane’s account, it seems the perfect way to anonymously take down Camille. Olivia’s plans begin to unravel when her application to Stanford is deferred and in desperation she turns to Jane’s account to destroy anything that stands in her way, but how far will she go?
“She’s kinda harsh. Jane is just exposing people for who they really are.”
Jane is a great watch. It’s well written and directed and the acting performances are superb. Madelaine Petsch is glorious as the spiralling Olivia and builds up the tension beautifully. The film is also extremely well paced, always keeping you just on the edge of your seat and wondering what will happen next.
It’s a thought provoking story, highlighting the kind of power that social media holds over the younger generation, as well as the pressures placed on young people to succeed, no matter the cost.
An excellent film, well worth a watch and I can’t wait to see what’s next from this up and coming director.
“Obviously cyber bullying is not cool, but this is a whole nother level of messed up, so if it’s bringing up anything difficult for you, I’m here.”
Jane is available on UK Digital Platforms from 13th February 2023.
| Director | Sabrina Jaglom |
| Genre | Thriller |
| Starring | Madeleine Petsch, Chloe Bailey, Chloe Yu, Ian Owens |