Call Jane (2021), directed by Phyllis Nagy

Unable to legally terminate a pregnancy that threatens her life, suburban Chicago housewife Joy turns to the Jane network for help. It’s 1968 and the world is changing, but not fast enough to help women who need abortions. Joy is drawn to join the Janes, who help make it safer, accessible and affordable until the 1973 Supreme Court Roe V Wade ruling renders their risky work no longer necessary. The film starts slowly but builds interest and tension as Joy is drawn deeper into the network of brave feminists and activists, testing her nerve and her marriage as she grows and takes a leading role in the organisation. Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver head a strong cast in a timely film that offers a glimmer of hope that such a network could rise again to offer strength in these regressive times. What a shame that after 50 years it is so badly needed again.