On the fringes of society, a runaway finds solace and safety in living with a transgender woman named Jane and her makeshift family. There, she finds support and other things families often provide.
Director Cho Hyun-hoon takes these misfits in a society that clearly does not seem to want them and puts them together in a way that they look like they belong together. He creates a pseudo family for them in each other, one that after enough stress and issues begins to fall apart as families sometimes do. Here he creates relationships and characters through hardship and difficulties. The characters are clearly trying to survive as best they can, clinging to the past and to dreams with little chances of coming true. His study of these young adults/late teens is direct and unflinching when it comes to their feelings and what they will do to survive in a difficult society that has rejected them more than once. He creates a story that is touching and that feels real. The way he approaches the subject is non-exploitive while still showing the situations and problems head on.
The characters created here are led by Lee Min-ji as So-hyun and Gu Gyo-hwan as the titular Jane. These two are the ones that captivate in this story and connect the most with the viewer. Their stories interconnect through happenstance and similar wants in life. The two of them show the audience women wanting to be happy, looking for ways to be so even though oftentimes through ways that may cause them issues more than happiness. The acting the two leads do here is talented and gives their characters reality and emotions that come across quite well while keeping the attention and making the viewer want to know more about them. They both play women looking for happiness while feeling left out of society, something many can connect with. They do with a respect for their parts and for the viewers.
This all happens in a world that is both bright and dirty, through the lens of cinematographer Cho Young-jik and with music by Flash Flood Darlings, both of which create a world of their own for the characters here and helps pass the emotions from them to the audience. The film has its own look and sound that are coherent and work well for the story.
Jane is one of those films that is not entirely easy or comfortable to watch but it worth it. It gives the teenage angst and loneliness as well as young adult with difficult lives a voice. It’s about people first and their difficulties or circumstances second. It connects with the audience through a story about people with real issues and real feelings. Not all the characters work as well, but the two leads are strong female characters and give equally strong performances.