Sweet Jane
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: D Film: B-
There is
an endless parade of bad films about the lives of those who become disastrously
addicted to drugs, but Joe Gayton’s Sweet
Jane (1998) has something to offers, mixed in with a still-good measure of
predictability and cliché. The story
begins with the title character (one of Samantha Morton’s best roles to date),
who is a young girl with no support, except by prostituting herself. Too bad she has a drug habit. After a hospital check-up, she also has AIDS.
She finds
herself in all kinds of humiliating and degrading situations, just trying to
survive. Suddenly, she runs into Tony
(the risk-taking Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who is an escapee form a medical
hospital. He is sick of being cooped up
and institutionalized as much as Jane is sick of her captors on the
outside. The interaction between the
characters and the acting chemistry between the principals makes this worth a
look, even when Gayton’s screenplay does not come up with new things to do with
the narrative. He still finds success,
which is not bad for such an indie film, especially when similar "A"
product from the majors does not work as well.
The full
frame 1.33 X 1 image is above average at best, likely from an older analog
transfer. It is watchable, but Greg
Littlewood’s cinematography has even more to offer. I would be curious to see this in a film
print and HD transfer for comparison.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is simple and offers no real surrounds, but
the film is dialogue-based and that is usually articulate. There are no extras.
This was
yet another interesting and ambitious film form the now-defunct Phaedra Cinema,
whose catalog has gone over to Vanguard for DVD release. Gordon-Levitt has more recently played
someone with serious emotional troubles in Manic,
and Morton continues to surface in films.
This was handled well enough, that more of Gayton’s work is called for
on DVD, and I hope we get it. Sweet Jane has its moments.
- Nicholas Sheffo
