Actress Charlotte Gainsbourg takes a look at her famous mother through her own camera.
Written and directed by Charlotte Gainsbourg, this extremely intimate documentary is a view on a mother-daughter relationship mostly from the point of view of the daughter with bits and piece of discussions with her mother selected at her whim. This leads to an interesting documentary as Gainsbourg explores her connection to her mother, their relationship, their past together and apart, and how each has influenced the other.
The cast of the film, as it is, is somewhat small, it’s mostly Gainsbourg, her mother Jane Birkin, and a few appearances by Gainsbourg’s daughter. Besides these ladies, the film has a few people appear here and there, but they do not make a difference on anything really. This makes this is very intimate view on the subject with no external opinions. This works in and of itself, but feels a bit limited in scope. So having this being a documentary about Jane Birkin makes it feel like an incomplete vision. Having it as a film about strictly the relationship between Gainsbourg and her mother makes for an interesting, almost voyeuristic view inside of a relationship. This will lead to some loving, some hating, and some ambivalence which is where it falls here. The view here is limited, very much so. There is a long segment dedicated to Serge Gainsbourg which makes sense, but having more about Birkin’s career, her life outside of being a mother, and perhaps her general impact would have made the film feel more complete.
The film here is partially filmed by Gainsbourg herself and cinematographer Adrien Bertolle. The two styles of filming between these two are pretty much night and day and some of the editing plays along with that. This leads to some parts of the film coming off less professional, something that isn’t really an issue. What is an issue is when the camera moves so much it becomes distracting. It’s a minor grip, but for some, it will make them turn off the film completely.
Overall, Jane by Charlotte is a very personal, very intimate documentary on the relationship between two famous women, mother and daughter from their point of view with a limited scope outside of that. This is a film with some emotions, some real introspection, but the lack of a larger scope feels like it is costing the result a more interesting take on the subject. For fans of either ladies, this is a great film. For those who are just midly curious, the appeal gets lost quite early on.