Home Entertainment: ‘Jane’ Digital review

Madelaine Petsch and Chloe Bailey lead this week’s new digital release, Jane. Set during the stressful time of high-school senior year, Jane follows the lives of former besties Oliva (Petsch) and Izzy (Bailey). 

Directed by Sabrina Jaglom, Jane begins in the wake of the suicide of the titular Jane (played by Chloe Yu). Jane’s death has wrecked Olivia, though no one is privy to what extent as Olivia paints on a happy face. Driven by a determined desire to get into her dream college of Stanford, Olivia ignores all signs that her mental health is in decline. Petsch plays the strung-up side of Olivia effectively, presenting an intriguing bundle of anxiety and bravado. Her fragile facade comes under further strain however, with the arrival of a new school transfer. The new girl looks set to usurp Olivia as Captain of the debate team; the stress of no longer being top of the pile, and the perfect student that she strives to be, causes Olivia to break down. Her collapse is carefully played, with Olivia keen to keep her mental health private. 

Olivia’s breakdown is witnessed by her next door neighbour, Izzy. The two girls were once best friends along with the deceased Jane, but as so often happens during adolescence, Izzy grew apart from the other two. Their bond is still strong though and despite the distance that has grown, Izzy insists on helping Olivia. As the two converse about Olivia’s problems, they dream about getting rid of her new rival. Then after hearing a rumour, they uncover a way to get Olivia’s competition to quit the debate team using Jane’s social media to blackmail her. Their plan works, and quickly the pair are besties once more, bonded by their new hobby of ruining those they view as enemies. As their vendetta’s grow, their vengeance intensifies and events spiral out of control. 

The brunt of Jane rests on the uneasy friendship between Olivia and Izzy. As with other aspects of Olivia’s life, even this friendship appears manufactured. Though once friends, it is clear that their new connection operates on a superficial level. The two are linked through their shared cyberbullying secret; it is not enough to fix the broken bridges. Olivia seems happy to overlook this and throws herself into Izzy’s world. Izzy’s way of life contrasts with Olivia’s regimented routine. Izzy’s lifestyle offers the more traditional senior teenager experience: boyfriends, parties, alcohol, and watching Olivia try to fit in is uncomfortable. Olivia is clearly trying to cling onto the past and watching her cave into peer pressure is a familiar, but nevertheless sad, scenario. 

Emotional space is pivotal to Jane being able to work. As Olivia and Izzy’s ‘pranks’ continue, a vein of extreme meanness is introduced. With neither girl taking responsibility for the new posts, the audience is placed into the position of trying to work out which, if either, is telling the truth. As cracks in their new reformed friendship widen, the tone of Jane gets darker as it explores the harms of cyberbullying, whilst highlighting the stress of the American college application system. The two components have no bearing on one another usually, but here they work well alongside one another, one pushing the other forward as a means to relieve anxiety. 

As the story progresses, narrative elements get more melodramatic and push Jane into teen thriller territory. It’s a great direction for Jaglom to steer toward, but the final act is a little shaky. The ending could be interpreted as working against several messages that the film is trying to say, which is ultimately a misfire. Up until this point, Jane holds the viewer’s attention thanks to some stellar work from its young cast. A mixed-bag for older viewers, Jane is sure to connect with its target demographic thanks to its exploration of timely topics that encapsulate the modern teen experience. 

Jane is available on Digital HD now.