Jane and Emma (2018)

A very different kind of Mormon movie, oh darn, am I suppose to write the Church's full long name out each time now? Jane and Emma tells the story of Jane Manning, a free back convert to the LDS faith, and Emma Smith, wife of the prophet Joseph, as they spend a long night guarding the recently martyred body of the latters husband at the Mansion House in Nauvoo in 1844 (there are also a lot of flashbacks). The details of this night are fictional, there is no evidence it ever took place, but rather this long night of the soul serves as a dramatic device to have these two real, historical characters express a lot of feelings. We tend not to see Church history movies like this, told from the point of view of women, told in a manner respectful of faith, but not glossing over historical unpleasantness. A decade or so ago a movie came out called Emma Smith: My Story, which told the story of the prophets wife in a manner fit for a Relief Society classroom, there was only one mention of polygamy in it, and all Emma said was 'I don't like to talk about it'. In Jane and Emma polygamy gets more then one mention, and you see not just Emma's disappointment with the practice, but her downright resentment of it, this feels both understandable and true to me, to our knowledge it is also quite historically accurate. None the less Emma still really loved her husband.

Jane is the kind of the figure who is getting a second look in Church circles. The history of race in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a complicated one, Jane embodies this, she was very much a believer and loyal church member, but she had every reason not to be and that should make her story all the more inspiring to the faithful. There has been a shift, in large part necessitated by easer access to historical materials and previously non mainstream information, wherein the church and its members have had to confront, and gotten more comfortable in confronting, ambiguities and uncertainties in its history. Jane and Emma is in many ways a perfect encapsulation of this, this movie could not have been made by the faithful of 20 years ago, it represents a maturing that should be applauded. It is also a compelling movie, with fascinating central characters and strong performances by leads Danielle Deadwyler and Emily Goss. A worthy and successful experiment. ***1/2