Call Jane (12A)
Directed by Phyllis Nagy
★★★

SET in 1968 Chicago five years before the landmark ruling Roe v Wade — sadly now history — this compelling drama examines the work of the activists, known as Janes, who provided safe illegal abortions in the city.

The service of this secret underground network is seen through the eyes of the fictional Joy (Elizabeth Banks), a married woman who is denied a termination from the hospital even though her pregnancy threatens her life.

She then turns to the Janes for help having come across their number by chance and is soon roped in by their no-nonsense leader Virginia (Sigourney Weaver).

Banks and Weaver give blinding performances in this impressive directorial debut feature from Carol screenwriter Phyllis Nagy.

Though the film centres on Joy’s feminist awakening, it also depicts the power of female solidarity and what women can achieve when they band together — in this case, fighting for autonomy over their own bodies.

It proves a wake-up call for Joy, who convinces Virginia that they should learn how to carry out their own safe abortions and thus dispense with the rude and narcissistic male doctor who charged extortionate prices for his services, which meant a lot of women could not afford it.

Seeming like deja vu, Call Jane is a stark reminder of the struggle that lies ahead for women in the US after the Supreme Court’s criminal decision to overturn Roe v Wade.
MD

In cinemas

The Wonder (15)
Directed by Sebastian Lelio
★★★★

RELIGIOUS faith is pitted against science in this gripping yet haunting psychological drama from Chilean co-writer director Sebastian Lelio.

Set in a tiny Irish village in 1862, nurse Lib Wright (Florence Pugh) is hired to watch over a young girl who has not eaten for four months — yet is in miraculous health.

Eleven-year-old Anna O’Donnell (an impressive Kila Lord Cassidy) claims to have survived on “manna from heaven.”

Wright’s job, along with a nun who was employed with her, is to prove whether she is faking or is indeed a saint and a religious miracle.

Based on Emma Donoghue’s acclaimed novel, this is very hard watch at times and may prove triggering for anyone with food issues or an eating disorder.

Pugh, though, is the film’s driving force with another powerhouse performance in which her face speaks volumes without uttering a word as the pragmatic Lib, who relies on scientific reasoning and who is battling her own demons.

She is frankly extraordinary to watch and is joined by a superlative supporting cast which includes Toby Jones, Ciaran Hinds and Tom Burke.

Wonderfully dark and disturbing, this thriller keeps you guessing until the very end, though it won’t be for everyone.

MD

In cinemas and on Netflix November 16

Causeway (15)
Directed by Lila Neugebauer
★★★

JENNIFER LAWRENCE gives another career-defining performance as a US soldier adjusting to life back home after suffering a brain injury in this quietly subdued yet impactful debut feature by Lila Neugebauer.

In the first minutes of the film, Lawrence is virtually silent as you watch her character Lynsey, having returned injured from Afghanistan, begin her slow and painful recovery as she has to relearn how to walk, dress and wash herself. Once she is able, she heads back to her hometown in New Orleans to stay with her mother (Linda Emond) with whom she has a difficult relationship.

She feels traumatised and alone until she meets James (Bryan Tyree Henry), a local car mechanic who is battling his own demons and past.

Henry gives a tour-de-force portrayal opposite Lawrence, who conveys so much by saying so little in her most stripped-down performance since Winter’s Bone. The two are captivating to observe as these lost souls finding solace together in this beautifully crafted depiction of loss, trauma and coming to terms with moving forward.

MD

In cinemas and on Apple TV +

Living (15)
Directed by Oliver Hermanus
★★★★

BASED on the Japanese classic film Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa, the story is transposed to 1950s London and stars Bill Nighy as a man who, in a wake-up call, decides to dedicate the rest of his life in making a difference.

Nighy is sublime as he turns in another career-defining and masterclass performance as the straight-laced Williams, a civil servant who has always stayed in his lane. On learning some shocking news, he embarks on a journey of discovery for the first time in his life in which he meets a seaside bohemian Sutherland (Tom Burke) and opens up to former co-worker Margaret Harris (Aimee Lou Wood).

Capturing the look and feel of the 1950s with its sumptuous visuals, director Oliver Hermanus delivers a gorgeous and stylised slow-burning drama which is anchored by Nighy’s wondrous and nuanced interpretation.

MD

In cinemas