I Am Jane Doe
| I am Jane Doe | |
|---|---|
Release Poster | |
| Directed by | Mary Mazzio |
| Written by | Mary Mazzio |
| Produced by | Mary Mazzio Alec Sokolow |
| Narrated by | Jessica Chastain |
| Cinematography | Joe Grasso |
| Edited by | Collin Cameron |
| Music by | Alex Laserenko |
Production company | |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
I am Jane Doe is a documentary directed by Mary Mazzio detailing the lawsuits several American mothers lodged against Backpage.com, the classified advertising website formerly owned by the Village Voice, which was charged with trafficking the women's teenage daughters for the purposes of prostitution.
The film is narrated by Jessica Chastain, and was produced by Mazzio and Alec Sokolow.
Plot
I am Jane Doe mainly follows the stories of a group of middle school girls from Boston, a 15-year-old from Seattle, and a 13-year-old girl from St. Louis. The group of "Jane Does" lodged suits against Backpage.com, a now-defunct classified advertising website, accusing the website of facilitating sex trafficking due to its business and editorial practices, as well as the design of the website itself. The suits particularly concerned Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
I am Jane Doe also follows congressional actions against Backpage and online human trafficking. The film features interviews from Senators Rob Portman, John McCain, Claire McCaskill, and Heidi Heitkamp.
Release
The film opened on February 10, 2017, in select theaters in New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Boston, and Philadelphia.
50% of the film's profits were donated to non-profit organizations which served children affected by human trafficking.
Reception
I am Jane Doe received generally positive reviews by critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 91%, based on 11 reviews, and an average rating of 7.6/10.[1] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 69 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".[2]
The film was also highlighted in The New Yorker,[3] Film Journal International,[4] Elle,[5] Vogue,[6] People,[7][8][9] and on the NBC Nightly News.[10]
However, there was some criticism directed towards the film, even by reviewers who regarded it positively. Katie Walsh of the Los Angeles Times described the I Am Jane Doe as "a powerful call to action to protect children over profit",[11] but also wrote that the documentary was "an overwhelming, and sometimes disorganized firehose of information",[11] and highlighted the fact that "Mazzio doesn’t include any advocates for Internet freedom, which feels like a missed opportunity to fully illustrate the tensions and reasons why the court cases have stalled."[11]
Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post described the film as a "sobering, often sickening, bluntly effective piece of advocacy cinema",[12] "a viscerally emotional case for a common-sense reassessment of the law",[12] and "a gut-wrenching reminder that there are certain rocks we ignore at our peril."[12] However, she did acknowledge that "some sex workers and nonprofits ... argue that Backpage was actually helpful in making their work safer, and in identifying exploitative perpetrators",[12] views which "aren’t explored in “I Am Jane Doe,” which doesn’t apologize for voicing only one side of the debate".[12]
Jeanette Catsoulis of the New York Times wrote that "[i]t’s all too easy to miss the fact that what we’re watching is more advocacy than argument. ... Attempting to simplify a dauntingly complex tangle of rights and responsibilities, the director, Mary Mazzio, has shaped her material into a classic heroes-and-villains showdown."[13] Catsoulis also highlights "the movie’s lack of clear definitions for terms like sex trafficking and child sex (which mean different things in different states). How it fails to consider the criminalization of sex work as a possible barrier to rooting out those who exploit minors. Or how the plaintiffs’ demand for age verification of the women in online ads could be almost impossible to put in effect."[13]
Furthermore, "despite an abundance of legal expertise, no one is on hand to substantively address First Amendment rights, or to examine claims that the website is a useful ally in locating and prosecuting traffickers",[13] and Catsoulis argues that "[w]ithout these balancing voices, “I Am Jane Doe” coalesces into a steamroller of pain that squashes our ability to see beyond its wounded families."[13]
See also
References
- ^ "I Am Jane Doe (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
- ^ "I Am Jane Doe Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
- ^ Friend, Tad (January 16, 2017). ""I Am Jane Doe" Takes on Backpage". The New Yorker. Condé Nast. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ Barsanti, Chris (February 8, 2017). "Film Review: I Am Jane Doe". Film Journal International. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ "Press". I Am Jane Doe official website. 20 November 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ Felsenthal, Julia (February 9, 2017). "A New Movie Spotlights the Teenagers Working to Expose Child Sex Trafficking". Vogue. CN Fashion & Beauty. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ Aradillas, Elaine (February 8, 2017). "Sold for Sex: Underage Trafficking Victim Shares How She Was Saved From Abuse in New Documentary". People. Time. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ Aradillas, Elaine (February 9, 2017). "Sex Trafficking Victim's Family Fights to Put Their Lives Back Together: 'We're Making a New Normal'". People. Time. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ Aradillas, Elaine (February 9, 2017). "New Documentary I Am Jane Doe Focuses on Victims' Fight Against Online Child Sex Trafficking". People. Time. Archived from the original on 2021-05-15. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ Snow, Kate (February 12, 2017). "New Documentary Chronicles Legal Fight Against Human Trafficking". NBC Nightly News. NBC. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ a b c Walsh, Katie (February 9, 2017). "Child exploitation, free speech and net neutrality tangle in fervent documentary 'I Am Jane Doe'". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Hornaday, Ann (February 9, 2017). "'I Am Jane Doe': A disturbing look at Internet-enabled exploitation". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d Catsoulis, Jeanette (February 9, 2017). "Review: 'I Am Jane Doe' Takes Aim at Escort Ads". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 September 2025.