No, this isn't a porn movie, nor is it a softcore sex romp. Sorry to disappoint you.
Sarah Jacobson is remembered as a pioneer of feminist filmmaking, an independent force of nature, and a fierce voice from the Riot Grrrl era. She was the embodiment of the DIY ethos.
I discovered her work through Film Threat Video Guide, where I ordered a tape of her explosive short, I Was a Teenage Serial Killer. It is a hard, mean mirror image of the standard cliche of men preying on women. In Jacobson's movie a woman targets abusive men.
I heard about Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore, but I never managed to see it. Though legendary in underground film circuits, the movie never managed to land a distributor.
Despite the nineties reputation of grrrl empowerment, there was still a lot of discrimination in independent film circles. Bro-centric debuts like Clerks, Reservoir Dogs, and El Mariachi led to big studio deals for their male directors. Women filmmakers like Allison Anders and Stacy Title were brushed aside. Or didn't get any recognition whatsoever.
Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore languished in movie purgatory for many years, until the excellent people at AGFA (American Genre Film Archive) released a Blu-ray. It contains the Mary Jane feature and a handful of Sarah's short films.
Mary Jane, a suburban girl, gets a job at a hip movie theater in Minnesota. At first she's a fish out of water. Mary Jane didn't fit in her straitlaced high school or with her mostly absent parents, but she isn't considered cool enough for the downtown crowd. She gradually blends in, even while she realizes many of the familiar pratfalls exist there. She has to beware of drunken dudes trying to put more notches on their belts. There is a hierarchy in the crowd and defying it can be detrimental to her social standing.
Mary Jane develops allegiances and begins to win friends. She feels she has found the home she never knew. Until tragedy strikes and people begin to drift away. The future of the theater is in jeopardy and Mary Jane is heartbroken as her new family begins to disperse. She is a sympathetic character and our hearts break along with Mary Jane's as she faces the loss of her emotional virginity.
Mary Jane is tough, and she will find the resolve she needs. I loved her courage and her strong attitude. Writer-director-producer-editor Sarah Jacobson's punk feminist convictions shine through her character, but this isn't, thank God, Lydia Lunch spewing venom at her audience. There's heart and soul and warmth in the film and its characters.
The cast is mostly unknowns. I assume many are Jacobson's friends. Lisa Gerstein displays a nice balance of strength and vulnerability as Mary Jane. Jello Biafra plays a religious nut spouting family values to the sinful theater employees. Underground film icon George Kuchar has a cameo. Hollywood stalwart Garry Marshall even makes an appearance.
The acting is often clunky, but that's not a problem for those of us who love and appreciate truly independent film.
Most people wouldn't like Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore. I don't feel it should have gotten a giant release. But I do think the passion, intelligence, dedication, and yes, talent of Sarah Jacobson should have been evident enough for a smart movie exec to give her a decent budget to see what she could do.
Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore came out in a time of change in independent film. So-called indie movies were getting bigger budgets and the scene that was so vibrant earlier in the nineties was cooling off.
Andrew Bujalski is credited as being the father of Mumblecore with his 1999 low budget microbudget movie, Funny Ha Ha. A different kind of independent film was emerging in the new century and it paved the way for people like Joe Swanberg, the Duplass Brothers, Lynn Shelton, Lena Dunham, and Greta Gerwig. It's a damned shame Sarah Jacobson wasn't part of it. Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore is certainly the kind of movie that was embraced by critics just a few years after she made it.
The success wasn't to be. Mary Jane was her only feature. Sarah Jacobson developed cancer and died on February 13, 2004. She was only thirty-three years old.
The world at large doesn't know her name, but the right people think of Sarah Jacobson as the Queen of Independent Film. Her films have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art. Everyone seemed to love Jacobson. Even stuffy old Roger Ebert championed her movies. Her work and her spirit predated the Me Too movement and it continues to inspire and influence creative people to this day.
Written by Mark Sieber
Sarah Jacobson is remembered as a pioneer of feminist filmmaking, an independent force of nature, and a fierce voice from the Riot Grrrl era. She was the embodiment of the DIY ethos.
I discovered her work through Film Threat Video Guide, where I ordered a tape of her explosive short, I Was a Teenage Serial Killer. It is a hard, mean mirror image of the standard cliche of men preying on women. In Jacobson's movie a woman targets abusive men.I heard about Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore, but I never managed to see it. Though legendary in underground film circuits, the movie never managed to land a distributor.
Despite the nineties reputation of grrrl empowerment, there was still a lot of discrimination in independent film circles. Bro-centric debuts like Clerks, Reservoir Dogs, and El Mariachi led to big studio deals for their male directors. Women filmmakers like Allison Anders and Stacy Title were brushed aside. Or didn't get any recognition whatsoever.
Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore languished in movie purgatory for many years, until the excellent people at AGFA (American Genre Film Archive) released a Blu-ray. It contains the Mary Jane feature and a handful of Sarah's short films.
Mary Jane, a suburban girl, gets a job at a hip movie theater in Minnesota. At first she's a fish out of water. Mary Jane didn't fit in her straitlaced high school or with her mostly absent parents, but she isn't considered cool enough for the downtown crowd. She gradually blends in, even while she realizes many of the familiar pratfalls exist there. She has to beware of drunken dudes trying to put more notches on their belts. There is a hierarchy in the crowd and defying it can be detrimental to her social standing.
Mary Jane develops allegiances and begins to win friends. She feels she has found the home she never knew. Until tragedy strikes and people begin to drift away. The future of the theater is in jeopardy and Mary Jane is heartbroken as her new family begins to disperse. She is a sympathetic character and our hearts break along with Mary Jane's as she faces the loss of her emotional virginity.
Mary Jane is tough, and she will find the resolve she needs. I loved her courage and her strong attitude. Writer-director-producer-editor Sarah Jacobson's punk feminist convictions shine through her character, but this isn't, thank God, Lydia Lunch spewing venom at her audience. There's heart and soul and warmth in the film and its characters.
The cast is mostly unknowns. I assume many are Jacobson's friends. Lisa Gerstein displays a nice balance of strength and vulnerability as Mary Jane. Jello Biafra plays a religious nut spouting family values to the sinful theater employees. Underground film icon George Kuchar has a cameo. Hollywood stalwart Garry Marshall even makes an appearance.
The acting is often clunky, but that's not a problem for those of us who love and appreciate truly independent film.
Most people wouldn't like Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore. I don't feel it should have gotten a giant release. But I do think the passion, intelligence, dedication, and yes, talent of Sarah Jacobson should have been evident enough for a smart movie exec to give her a decent budget to see what she could do.
Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore came out in a time of change in independent film. So-called indie movies were getting bigger budgets and the scene that was so vibrant earlier in the nineties was cooling off.
Andrew Bujalski is credited as being the father of Mumblecore with his 1999 low budget microbudget movie, Funny Ha Ha. A different kind of independent film was emerging in the new century and it paved the way for people like Joe Swanberg, the Duplass Brothers, Lynn Shelton, Lena Dunham, and Greta Gerwig. It's a damned shame Sarah Jacobson wasn't part of it. Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore is certainly the kind of movie that was embraced by critics just a few years after she made it.
The success wasn't to be. Mary Jane was her only feature. Sarah Jacobson developed cancer and died on February 13, 2004. She was only thirty-three years old.
The world at large doesn't know her name, but the right people think of Sarah Jacobson as the Queen of Independent Film. Her films have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art. Everyone seemed to love Jacobson. Even stuffy old Roger Ebert championed her movies. Her work and her spirit predated the Me Too movement and it continues to inspire and influence creative people to this day.
Written by Mark Sieber
The author does not allow comments to this entry
No comments