Janet Planet

For the musician, see Confidence Man (band).

Janet Planet is a 2023 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Annie Baker in her directorial debut. It stars Julianne Nicholson, Zoe Ziegler, Elias Koteas, Will Patton, and Sophie Okonedo. It follows a single mother and her young daughter who navigate their complex relationship in 1990s rural Massachusetts.

Janet Planet
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Annie Baker
Written by	Annie Baker
Produced by	Dan Janvey Derrick Tseng Annie Baker Andrew Goldman
Starring	Julianne Nicholson Zoe Ziegler Elias Koteas Will Patton Sophie Okonedo
Cinematography	Maria von Hausswolff
Edited by	Lucian Johnston
Production companies	A24 BBC Film Present Company
Distributed by	A24
Release dates	September 1, 2023 (2023-09-01) (Telluride) June 21, 2024 (2024-06-21) (United States)
Running time	113 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$805,694[2][3]

The film had its world premiere at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on September 1, 2023, and was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on June 21, 2024, by A24. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised Baker's direction and screenplay, as well as Ziegler's performance. At the 40th Independent Spirit Awards, it earned three nominations: Best First Feature, Best First Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.

Plot

In 1991, Lacy is an 11-year-old girl who lives in western Massachusetts with her single mother Janet, an acupuncturist with whom she is extremely close. At summer camp, Lacy calls her mother at night and matter-of-factly tells her that she will kill herself if she doesn't pick her up, but regrets the decision after a friendly interaction with two of her fellow campers.

Janet is first shown dating Wayne, a taciturn middle-aged man prone to odd behavior and migraines. Although Lacy befriends Wayne's daughter, Sequoia, after a trip to the mall, she dislikes Wayne himself. During one of his migraines, Lacy pesters Wayne until he charges at her; later, Janet asks her what to do, and Lacy suggests that she break up with Wayne.

After breaking up with Wayne, Janet and Lacy attend a performance by a troupe of actors led by Avi, a charismatic spiritual leader who lives with his troupe in a commune. Janet recognizes one of the actors as an old friend of hers named Regina, who leaves the commune for unknown reasons and moves in with Janet. Lacy is friendlier with the free-spirited Regina than she was with Wayne, but tensions begin to rise between Janet and Regina over matters such as rent money and unspecified mistakes Janet made in her past. Eventually, Avi visits and takes Regina back to the commune, soon striking up his own relationship with Janet.

On the first day of sixth grade, Lacy is stricken with headaches; despite her mistrust of antibiotics, Janet acquires them from a pharmacy for Lacy's sake before going on a date with Avi. They hike and have a picnic, and he reads her poetry. However, mid-sentence, he disappears, and Janet drives back home alone.

Lacy recovers from her illness and begins attending middle school. In the fall, Janet takes Lacy to a contra dance, where she freely moves between partners. Lacy is asked by a woman if she wants to dance to which she shakes her head no. She watches her mother from a distance. Her mother then disappears and Lacy smiles.

Cast

• Julianne Nicholson as Janet, an acupuncturist hippie
• Zoe Ziegler as Lacy, Janet's 11-year-old daughter
• Elias Koteas as Avi, a theatre group leader
• Sophie Okonedo as Regina, Janet's friend
• Will Patton as Wayne, Janet's boyfriend
• Mary Shultz as Davina
• Edie Moon Kearns as Sequoia
• June Walker Grossman as Susanna
• Abby Harri as Emily

Release

Janet Planet had its world premiere at the 50th Telluride Film Festival.^[4] It also screened at the 2023 New York Film Festival.^[5] and was screened at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival in the Panorama section in February 2024.^[6][7]

The film was released in the United States on June 21, 2024.^[8]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 84% of 130 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "Unfolding at a gentle pace with an even more subdued sense of drama, Janet Planet revolves around Julianne Nicholson and Zoe Ziegler's outstanding performances."^[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 83 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".^[10]

Filmmakers Joanna Arnow, R.J. Cutler, Lena Dunham, and Savanah Leaf all cited Janet Planet as one of their favorite films of 2024.^[11]