Having not appeared in public for several years, Jane Birkin was enduring personal tragedies. And finally, the 1970s fashion trendsetter is back in the camera lens in the directorial debut film by her daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg, ‘Jane by Charlotte...

‘Jane by Charlotte’ is a touching and deeply personal documentary by Charlotte Gainsbourg, daughter of musician Serge Gainsbourg and actress, singer, and style icon Jane Birkin. The film shows several moments from the life of an aging Birkin: touring in Japan, a trip to the US, a snippet of life at a country house, and a visit to Serge Gainsbourg’s museum-home. Locations and conversation topics change as mother and daughter discuss the most intimate and profound subjects.

The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021, timed to Jane Birkin’s 75th birthday. The last few years had been tough for the artist: she endured the death of her eldest daughter Kate, battled cancer, and learned to accept the inevitability of aging. Charlotte herself didn’t speak to her mother for six years after the tragedy with her sister. But the closeness and love between them endured and remained strong, and this is felt in every frame of Charlotte Gainsbourg’s directorial debut.

The title references another film, Agnès Varda’s ‘Jane B. par Agnès V.’ but they are completely different. In Charlotte’s film, two women discuss the past and present, love and loss, youth and old age, life and death. These conversations are sometimes so personal that you feel like you’re eavesdropping on a conversation not meant for outsiders. And that is the essence of the film—it’s not for the viewer, but for Charlotte herself. The daughter tries to find answers to questions she always wanted to ask but never dared. At the beginning of the film, Charlotte and Jane recall that they were never open with each other; the daughter never shared her worries and thoughts with her mother. And here we have an attempt at a frank conversation.

‘Jane by Charlotte’ lacks the style or gloss felt in Agnès’s work; there are no references to works of art or newsreels. It is a very atmospheric documentary, where subtle direction conveys artistic expressiveness and a personal touch. The daughter shows her mother’s inner world, allowing us to know the real Jane Birkin, not the one fans saw in films or on stage.

We learn that she carefully preserves her memories, even if they are clutter, and is grateful to each of her three husbands, despite the difficulties there were. And fame was never a goal in itself for her. Jane Birkin ages gracefully and with dignity, continues to enjoy the little things and values time spent with family. She doesn’t stop smiling, loves dogs, and sings on stage again. Watching her on screen through Charlotte’s eyes, you feel the daughter’s love and care for her mother. And after viewing, a poignant feeling arises to talk to loved ones about things you’ve been silent about for years.

The Arthouse film company is releasing the documentary ‘Jane by Charlotte’ in Russian theaters on July 7.