Sweet Jane

REVIEW
Mathis is Jane, a street-wise junkie, jaded survivor of many ODs. Gordon-Levitt is Tony, a child of the streets, survivor of abandonment and abuse. Each turns in a remarkable performance as two marginal characters existing below society’s radar, both angry, afraid, alone. Jane’s latest OD lands her in a clinic, where she finds out that she’s HIV-positive, and where she crosses paths with Tony, who follows her and cares for her despite her protestations. Jane is intelligent and educated and locked into her addiction; Tony is barely into his teens and raised himself against the malignant neglect and active degradation of his parents. Jane and Tony have taken very different paths to get to the same destination, forming a bond in mutual desperation, a bond that comes to be stronger than either of them has previously known. The authentic performances more than compensate for the script’s occasional lapses into predictability, and writer-director Gayton constructs an involving tale at once allegoric and neo-realist. Sweet Jane is the kind of small surprise that is sometimes the sweet gift of independent film.