I am Jane Doe (2017) User Reviews

Exposes injustice in the legal system

[tristaluke · 8/10 · 17 June 2017]

A couple of other reviewers give this film one star because it very pointedly exposes Backpage for being complicit in, and even participating in, the pimping of underage girls. These reviewers claim that viewers are expecting to hear stories of human trafficking instead of the story of a court battle against Backpage. Isn't it nice that we have these guys to tell us what we should expect? Other reviewers seem to be put off by the title, calling it "misleading". The court cases in the doc are Jane Doe cases, hence this film's title. How is that in any way misleading? This documentary outlines the stories of the girl involved in the court cases against Backpage. The court cases identify the girls by "Jane Doe" and by the girls' initials, and the documentary identifies them the same way when they are interviewed on camera. The allegations presented in this film are that Backpage, in essence, operates as a pimp by proxy, and that the only reason Backpage is legally protected is because it is an internet site. The vague wording of the CDA, an act that was instituted while the internet was still in its infancy, provides a cloak of protection for almost all of Backpage's actions. This even seems to be true when Backpage's CEO openly defies a Congressional subpoena.

As another reviewer stated, prostitution is, indeed, as old as time. Forcing underage children to perform sex acts is certainly as old as time as well. Both of those things also happen to be illegal in the USA. Invoking the "old as time" adage does not excuse the misconduct of individuals and business entities who promote illegal acts. This documentary, while maybe not outstanding in cinematic terms (there's quite a lot of repeat use of stock footage, for example), sheds light on an important issue. The ongoing court battles against Backpage exemplify the prejudice that victims face, the constant belittling of their experiences, and a judiciary that quite openly favors big business over human rights.

What this documentary really lacks, from my personal perspective, is an insight into why the customers in the human trafficking equation do not suffer any repercussions. Or do they? I would love to see an investigation into that. If it has repeatedly been upheld that Backpage (or insert whatever other publication you want) is an innocent intermediary, then what about the *actual* pimps? What about those that are committing the direct crime of purchasing these services and raping young girls?

Incomplete Portrayal

[fsills-47066 · 7/10 · 30 May 2017]

I really want to give this more stars because it explores the trafficking situation really well, however, there is no explanation as to WHY the other side is fighting against allowing speech censorship on the internet. Internet freedom of speech is a dissertation unto itself- it is not a simple black/white issue. I think pretending the other side had no argument (just "greedy & evil") was an oversimplification. Some of the speakers were part of the Village Voice. I have no doubt that those journalists had informed opinions on the topic that were simply edited out of the film.

Just Scratches the Surface of an Immense Horror

[poetcomic1 · 8/10 · 29 May 2017]

By concentrating on child sex trafficking, the film sidesteps the issue of the mass marketing of women (and young men) in general by traffickers who admit that their main tools are drug addiction and violence. That this is considered in anyway part of 'freedom' in America is nauseating. Village Voice is just one of numerous weekly urban free newspapers that get the BULK of their revenue from very expensive and extensive ads for prostitutes, S&M dungeons, sexual massage parlors etc. They throw in a few 'serious articles and listings for restaurants etc. but the 'soul' of the Village Voice and all the other such papers nationwide is PIMPING. That is the main gripe I have with this film is that they celebrate the 'venerable' liberal paper which has sunk to peddling sex for profit.

must watch

[ericchin-68909 · 4 August 2017]

I have totally no idea how an advanced country like USA allowing 'legalised' Abastenia St. Leger Eberle under their watch by giving certain webpage.com to hide behind CDA s230 . Its still happening now and right under those politicians freaking ivory towers . Ask yourself did you vote for them to misrepresenting you ? Do you think any sort of $$ lobbying is going to affect your loved ones negatively when bad things happened ?

The Internet

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 23 June 2017]

The epic battle that several American mothers are waging on behalf of their middle-school daughters, victims of sex trafficking on Backpage.com, the adult classifieds section that for years was part of the iconic Village Voice.

Not to sound insensitive, but I did not find the part of this film about trafficking all that interesting. In fact, it was largely glossed over. The girls were not kidnapped and could have gone home at any time. A more interesting question would be why this lifestyle appealed to them. Not to excuse the pimps by any means, but what more can we do at home to prevent girls from thinking this is a wise choice? But I did find the issues about the legality of running such a website quite interesting. After seeing the film, I went to the website and sure enough it is incredibly obvious that the "escorts" and "massage parlors" listed are fake. There was nothing quite as explicit as the film showed, and nothing suggesting underage women... but despite that, it was apparent that if Backpage wanted to remove such content, it would be really, really easy to police. So why do they not do it?

Inspirational

[svetanovak · 10/10 · 21 June 2017]

Fantastic film that opened my eyes through the horrors of Backpage.com and the child sex trafficking industry in this country. So rarely do you see a documentary this raw and honest come out with the full intention of doing good. I have seen this movie twice: once myself and a second time with my family, and it doesn't get easier. But, it does inspire me to join the fight and help in whatever way I can. To me, that is the greatest signifier of a well-made film.

A Shocking Catalyst for Change

[mazziomansonja · 10/10 · 21 June 2017]

I AM JANE DOE is assaulting to any viewer. It revolts and disgusts any average audience, and it does so intentionally. Just look at the subject matter, and you can see why so many people seem to have a problem with accepting this film. The repeated rape and sale of children is a disgusting notion, one that cuts a person to the core. When I used to think about human trafficking, I always thought of it like in the movie "Taken". It happens to "dumb" people over seas. It doesn't effect me, or my life, at all. Watching this documentary rips apart that false assumption. Any American child, no matter their race, gender, sexuality, or socioeconomic status is at risk to be repeatedly raped and sold. That is abhorrent in every sense. It is the destruction of innocence, the eradication of futures. And it could happen to anyone. That is a terrifying concept.

What I AM JANE DOE does so well is aim those natural human emotions of confusion and disgust and rage on the broken system that allows for the insane profit off of the sale of children. There seems to be many comments so far about how viewers were disappointed that there was no happy ending in this film. That there wasn't a "fix" that was found to child sex trafficking. And it seems that those same people were also upset over the specific targeting of Backpage.com. I couldn't disagree with these comments more, as I thought the film handled this tactfully. It carefully and clearly exposed not only the injustice in our legal system for allowing Backpage.com to continue to profit off of the sale of children, but also carefully handled the horrific experiences these children went through, giving their trauma justice without spinning off down the rabbit hole to a depressing story about each different graphic instance of a child being sold for sex. Instead, I AM JANE DOE specifically focuses on the legal efforts to take away the ease in ability to profit off of the sale of children with the goal of a unification of efforts. Instead of having a single lawyer stand up for three girls in Seattle, and a law firm in Boston mounting its own case- I AM JANE DOE has encouraged the combination of efforts and collaboration between lawyers and activists and every day Americans in a universal call for change. Yes, this film does not offer a permanent solution to prostitution- because there is no magic pill to fix this- instead, the film offers a route to take for the ordinary citizen who is motivated to fight this, and exposes the lack of morals present in far too many technology companies that are willing to write off the sale of thousands of American children every year as collateral damage in their search for higher profits.

I AM JANE DOE calls for a change in the way we treat the internet. It demands a revolution against these companies that have so little regard for human life. It is already proving to be a catalyst, creating an avenue for true bipartisan politics, in both the House of Representatives and in the Senate (led by Senators McCain, Portman, Heitkamp, and McCaskill - outspoken leaders in both the Democratic and Republican parties), to amend the loophole that allows websites to profit off of rape with impunity.

Starting this documentary, I was angry. I was disgusted. I was revolted. I felt sick to my stomach knowing that one day this could happen to my children. This could happen to my best friend, my family, my neighbors. That knowledge made me full of sadness and rage. By the end of the film however, my thoughts had changed. I am now motivated. I have seen the power of a single voice standing up to massive corporations and unfair laws. Imagine what all our voices could do? I am determined to stand up for the hundreds of thousands of children who cannot stand up for themselves. I will Speak Out. I will Fight Back. Will You?

Disingenuous

[Good_Fences · 1/10 · 4 June 2017]

I was quite disturbed by this documentary, and not for the reasons you would think. This documentary is a bait & switch, plain and simple. As someone else stated, it should really be called "the war on Backpage." This is a plaintiff advocacy piece masquerading as an informative documentary on a sensitive topic. The makers of this should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. They basically exploit a serious topic so that they can drive home a narrative on a tangentially related subject, which of course is Backpage.com and prostitution.

This documentary is not about sex trafficking; It is about Backpage.com. That's it. Sex trafficking is just and example used to support their thesis. Every once in a while they will give a brief summary of the story of someone who was a victim of sex trafficking, but that is just to pull at your heartstrings. It's a distraction. If you wanted to make a documentary about Backpage and prostitution, it is possible to do so without logical fallacies, distractions, and a one-sided narrative. This documentary is not fair to backpage or the subject that it is addressing.

I am an engineer who has taken formal training on root cause analysis and corrective action. Backpage is not the problem. It is the intermediary. If you want to address the problem you have to be honest about it. Prostitution is one of the worlds oldest professions, and it isn't going away. Declaring war on it and the vehicles that are used to engage in it will not solve your problem. Banning things like Backpage will serve one purpose - making social justice warriors feel vindicated.

Be careful people. There is a war going on for your mind, and it's easy to find yourself a victim of propaganda if you don't know how to spot logical fallacies. Be vigilant in your quest for information.

"I am Jane Doe" will leave you angry and heartbroken. But it needs to be watched.

[robbiewarming · 10/10 · 21 June 2017]

So it actually took awhile for me to get around to watching "I am Jane Doe." I missed the window where the film was in theaters and there weren't any other screenings near me. I finally got to watch it on Netflix a couple weeks ago and I'm so glad I did.

This film is eyeopening. It left me angry, heartbroken, and itching to get involved in the fight against human trafficking. The fact that this happens right under our noses, in our very neighborhoods, should enrage everyone. And the absence of justice against Backpage, even with a damning Senate report, is unbelievable.

Watch this. It's so important.

Not clear

[caoimhe-98329 · 5/10 · 15 July 2017]

I don't understand why no one tells the story of the girls and what exactly happened to them. All of the focus is on Backpage, and absolutely nothing about who kidnapped the girls, where they were kept, who 'looked after' them etc. Of course them being advertised on Backpage is wrong, but I do not understand why the whole documentary is about a website they were advertised on instead of the bigger network they were taken into. Some details on their lives as trafficked girls would have been more insightful, rather than court battles against a website, which I doubt is the only place they were sold at.

Incisive, eye-opening, and unforgettable

[meghanm425 · 10/10 · 21 June 2017]

Wow. Blown away by both the content and the presentation. This documentary brings necessary clarity to an issue that has been so sanitized in our society that it has gone largely overlooked. The videography is beautiful, and the editing and pacing kept me engaged the whole time. One of the main things I got from the film is that Backpage is the "Walmart" of human trafficking- meaning that the website makes it easy for your average consumer to access underage victims of child sex trafficking that have been advertised by pimps on the site as willing prostitutes. This mass accessibility (a few clicks, and consumers can just as easily buy a car or furniture on the site) normalizes the crime in society, draws it out from the fringe. One reviewer suggests that removing the vehicles of sex trafficking will not solve the problem, but he/she offers no other solutions or ideas. This is obviously a complicated issue with multiple causes, but limiting access is a KEY part of the solution (and one of the only problems that can be targeted in an effective way). I commend the filmmakers and the courageous women and their mothers in the film for shedding light on that. We should not be the type of society that lets executives earn billions off the repeated rape of children.

Brings a real problem out of the dark

[novaknat · 10/10 · 21 June 2017]

I Am Jane Doe has completely changed my perspective on the issue of child sex trafficking within the United States. I have never encountered a film as powerful as this, that manages to simultaneously educate and touch the viewer emotionally. Ever since watching, this issue has been on the forefront of my mind and has facilitated numerous conversations between me and my friends/family.

The film is layered in a way that allows you to absorb as much information as possible in many different forms. The stories of the Jane Does and their mothers adds a personal touch, while the lawsuit presents a more analytical layer and dives to the root of the problem.

This film has the power to make real change in the world. I Am Jane Doe is leading the fight against Backpage and child sex trafficking, through shedding light on a subject that is more often than not left in the dark and labeled "taboo." And perhaps even more importantly, at its very core, this film manages to give a voice to those without one.

"I thought I would hear their stories".

[resetzero · 1/10 · 2 June 2017]

This is one ugly documentary. I don't mean ugly for the production value. In terms of visual quality, the documentary is actually quite pleasant. It has relatable images and videos, to tie in to the narration, it has interviews with relevant people, and so on. Where I find this documentary ugly is in the writing. It is called "I am Jane Doe", but it should really be called "The War on Backpage". I went into the documentary under the false description of it being about girls who were sex trafficked. I thought I would hear their stories, their traumas, their pain, their bravery... Thats not what I got at all. What I got was a very, VERY brief summary of 2 girls being lured into the sex trafficking world, but now they're out. Their tale of events were brushed over very quickly, and I don't feel like they were given their spotlight as well as they should have. They seemed to just be ammo for this documentary to fire at Backpage.com

Aside from the aim of the documentary, or what its real purpose is, there is something that seems very fishy about all of the people interviewed. Firstly, there isn't a single person in the documentary who has a normal name. Secondly, the 2 girls who were sex trafficked wouldn't give their name, but were perfectly comfortable giving extremely brief on screen interviews, showing their faces, and also part taking in photo shoots for the doco, giving pouty, and sassy looks, as if they were trying to sell urban clothing. I felt like most of what was shown in the doco was shown for shock value alone. Pictures of questionable images, with things blurred out, but still making it obvious what the context of the picture was. The whole weird video shoot with the kids playing in the snow, to portray innocence. Videos of news reports that were obviously ripped right off YouTube. It all makes me kind've skeptical whether everything you see is genuine. Some things seemed a bit too suspect, and somehow seemed as though clickbait culture, and flashy headlines have now made it into "documenting media".

I'm not downplaying the context at all. The subject of sex trafficking is something that needs to be fixed, but this documentary does not do that. What it does do, is shows you how anyone these days can throw a bunch of clips, and ideas together and call it a documentary. Even an Olympic Athlete, and Lawyer, such as in this documentary.

I don't know what to say...

[jackmccormack-15764 · 10/10 · 26 June 2017]

I'm going to be honest, I didn't know about this issue, let alone this film, until it popped up on my Netflix queue. This film came as a shocker to me. Human trafficking is something that happens in third world countries, not America. The emotion is raw and the facts hit you like a freight train. It's unbelievable that our courts and our Congress have not righted this issue by now. Backpage's actions are blatantly illegal and morally indefensible.

Not only is this documentary well made, but it gets right down into the dirt. It exposes something that needed to be brought to light. "I am Jane Doe" deserves every star.

It's really more about Backpage than it is about child sex trafficking

[asc85 · 5/10 · 11 November 2017]

As a couple of others have already noted, this film should have been titled, "The War On Backpage." While the film does talk about child sex trafficking, that really isn't the thrust of this movie. Therefore the way this film is positioned and marketed is highly misleading. If I knew this film was about Backpage.com, I doubt I would have watched it, which I'm sure is why the film is being positioned the way it is.

The primary thrust of this movie is about how Backpage has a personals section where there is de facto child sex trafficking, and that this should be stopped. So we keep on seeing lawsuits against Backpage, but Backpage keeps winning based on section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. Now, the obvious solution (at least to me), is that Congress should modify the law, and perhaps give a "carve out" to make it criminal to publish this type of thing. But that would be too hard for Congress, as companies like Google and Microsoft don't want that law to be touched. So Congress isn't blamed here, probably because Senators like John McCain, Claire McCaskill and Rob Portman were cooperative with the filmmakers. Instead, the judges are blamed for siding with Backpage. So the film leans toward it being the judges' fault, because this is clearly wrong, and they should be more activist.

The film is earnest enough in trying to make its point, but that doesn't mean it's a good movie. If you're really interested in seeing a movie about child sex trafficking, watch "Abduction of Eden" (sometimes just called "Eden"), which stars Jamie Chung and is based on a true story. It is a harrowing, upsetting movie to watch, but I thought it was magnificent. I thought I would see a documentary perspective of something similar to that, but that is not at all what is going on here.

Well made and vitally important

[josephmartin-56321 · 10/10 · 6 July 2017]

I just watched this documentary on Netflix and I had to write something about it. The subject matter made me sick to my stomach, but THIS FILM NEEDS TO BE WATCHED. Getting the word out about child sex trafficking and Backpage's horrible sins against humanity is the first step towards fixing the problem. Watch "I am Jane Doe." Share with your friends. Demand action.

10/10 if you want a better world for your children.

Empowering and Motivating

[lisamcd-52467 · 10/10 · 26 June 2017]

My first reaction after watching this film was that I had no idea how widespread this issue was in the US. My second reaction was feeling completely in awe of these survivors of sex trafficking and their mothers and their courage. The film does an excellent job of presenting these tragic stories in a way that empowers the subjects, shows viewers that change is possible, and inspires them to join the fight.

I hope that everyone will have a chance to watch this documentary to understand what is happening in their backyard and learn how to take action to stop it.

Preachy, biased, and totally missing the larger picture.

[joanembiscuso · 1/10 · 5 August 2017]

This film was 98 straight minutes of bias attempting to dissuade the viewer from believing in the constitutional right to free speech. It gives a complete pass to those who are actually harming children in an attempt to vilify a website with sole profit motives.

Do your own research before holding this sad but naive story in any serious regard. There are much better ways to deter human trafficking, and taking down a website whose code is easily duplicated is not one of them.

If you are determined to watch this film be prepared to wonder how these parents and lawyers became flexible enough for this much auto-fellatio.

This film is a must-watch.

[mkmilway · 10/10 · 11 July 2017]

This film is a must-watch. Everyone in this country needs to be aware of the widespread national issue of child sex-trafficking and Backpage's role. It is an excellent, avant-guarde, and heart-wrenching documentary. Mary Mazzio does a great job covering the legal technicalities of this issue and calls everyone of us to action against the people trafficking OUR nation's children.

Misleading

[timlin-4 · 2/10 · 3 July 2017]

Though this appears to be another sexploitation flick about child "sex trafficking" it turns out to be more of an inspirational legal drama. But it's a bait-and-switch on top of a bait-and-switch, because there is nothing inspirational about it. First of all, the victims depicted in the film would never have been located without Backpage, yet we're supposed to believe that Backpage bears all the blame. The makers of this movie even see nothing wrong with paying an actual pimp for an interview and paying parents to expose their children, who are much younger than the actual victims, as performers in a prostitution movie to make a more entertaining indictment of Backpage. Then, as the movie shows the legal actions against Backpage repeatedly losing in court, the viewer is given the impression that it's progress since the courts are exposed as being wrong. Backpage's greatest vulnerability turns out to be that it tried to moderate listings to remove blatantly illegal content, which is cast as concealing crime. Meanwhile there is zero attention paid to pursuing people who directly abuse kids, likely because, as the self-righteous sheriff accidentally reveals, sex slaves are difficult to find in the sea of listings of adults trafficking themselves, and the ones that are there are more like exploited underage laborers than kidnapped children. In conclusion, it's a creepy movie from people who hide the implications of the broad censorship they demand because they want to feel better about themselves at any cost.

Eye-opening and a call to change

[swlly · 10/10 · 10 July 2017]

This documentary shows a horrific side of American society. Throughout the plot there are stories of individual victims of child sex trafficking. These stories tear you apart inside as you see innocent children turned into merchandise and hear the dehumanizing terrors they have to face. These stories, however are presented along with a way to fight. This film reveals the blatant malice of Backpage.com, so while we see these painful stories we are simultaneously exposed to a legal and political battle. This honest documentary has a spark of hope and a future that we could impact.

Few documentaries have been able to both make me cry and make me feel inspired as this film did. I am Jane Doe is a must watch and will change the way you see prostitution.

Life Changing. A call for change

[srhclem · 10/10 · 6 July 2017]

Very rarely does a piece touch and motivate me the way that Mazzio's 'I AM JANE DOE' did. In just a short amount of time, this film managed to change my entire perception of this country, the legal system, and all those suffering without any voice. This film is well crafted and has perfected the art of persuasive storytelling, compelling me to do everything I can to make a change. It is simply eye-opening, how often the information provided by this film comes into play in everyday life. I am constantly educating my colleagues and engaging in meaningful discussions about stimulating change. Hopefully 'I AM JANE DOE' along with Nacole Lynn's petition will facilitate the necessary change that this country must go through.

Single sided Political story.

[leonstrand · 3/10 · 8 August 2017]

I am not going to sugarcoat this review at all (Spoiler alert). It says kidnapping and trafficking young girls. Well the real issue with kidnapping and trafficking of young girls are for example, the Russian and Asian (and many more country's) girls that are getting kidnapped and shipped overseas to US and then gets their passport taken away and locked into apartments and houses. They have no way of getting out and call for help, have no family nothing, these girls are sold over hundreds if not even thousands of site daily. Now this documentary is about girls that run away from their homes, and how they got into drugs and in the sex market with pimps. Now here is the twist on the story, for about 98min they try to make it sound like Backpage.com is behind all of this tragedy, because the pimps could post their sex ads on the website. Keep in mind the ads are not written as kid or child for sale but, with emoji's that says what the ads is really about, that basically means only people in a special "circle" knows what it is. This is not a real documentary that tells a story, this is a political information movie on how they want to remove the freedom of speech from the internet by removing the CDA s230. The majority of the people are republicans and lawyers trying to make a name for them self by exploiting parents who try to find someone to blame for the tragedy that happened to this innocent girls.

A heartbreaking inspiration

[aniceplant · 10/10 · 26 June 2017]

When I first pressed play, I did not expect I AM JANE DOE to affect me in the way that it has. I had to pause multiple times to collect myself and reason through the horrors that were being portrayed. I am in shock that there is so much violence and ingenuine conduct occurring beneath what we see on the internet.The film is made in such a way where each scene, interview, and story builds you up for heartbreak. However, it simultaneously manages to inspire every viewer to do his or her part in stopping the terrible crime of child sex trafficking. My praises go out to the filmmakers, for giving voices to all the Jane Does and putting the power in the hands of the people.

Terrible, uneducated movie

[isabelmallonlv · 1/10 · 16 November 2017]

I was incredibly taken aback by how uneducated and bigoted so many of the people in this movie were. They seem surprised by the fact that bad things happen in America and state that they thought that bad things - like child trafficking - only happen in "foreign" countries. Their stupidity and blatant racism make it really difficult to watch. Additionally, the entire movie focuses on how terrible Backpage.com is, without even having actually talking to a voluntary full service sex worker. These sex workers use things like Backpage to gain clients and without actually speaking to them and having some kind of understanding of this, the movie has absolutely no nuance. The film is incredibly poorly done and really isn't worth the watch if you have any critical eye or any prior understanding of the issues discussed. If you just learnt about child trafficking and sex work yesterday, then maybe this is a good starting point, but otherwise it's a terrible, terrible film.