Always Jane is an American docuseries directed by Jonathan C Hyde. The series follows two years in the life of Jane Noury, a transgender teenager living in rural New Jersey. Filmed in 2019 and 2020, it premiered on Amazon Prime Video on November 12, 2021.

Always Jane
GenreDocuseries
Written byKaitlin McLaughlin
Directed byJonathan C. Hyde
StarringJane Noury
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
  • James Haygood
  • Jonathan C. Hyde
  • Jane Noury
  • Michael Raimondi
  • Beth George
  • Shannon Lords Houghton
ProducerKatherine LeBlond
Production locations
Cinematography
  • Jonathan C. Hyde
  • Jane Noury
  • Shannon Palmer
Editors
  • Rodrigo Brazão
  • Zachary Kashkett
  • Meghan Parkansky
  • Jessica Potter
Production companies
Original release
NetworkAmazon Prime Video
ReleaseNovember 12, 2021 (2021-11-12)

Summary edit

Jane Noury lives with her family in rural New Jersey as she nears her high school graduation and prepares for college. A transgender teenager who came out around the age of 15, she is pursuing a career in modeling and acting.[1][2][3]

Production edit

As Noury began to pursue modeling, she and her mother met Jonathan C. Hyde at a brunch for competitors in a model search event.[4] Hyde had intended to make a film about the model search, but upon meeting Noury was inspired by her story and changed his plans.

Of the series Noury said to The Guardian, “This was never planned to happen. It was not supposed to be an Amazon show". “It is a transgender coming of age story but it’s also more about just the behind the scenes of my life and trying to figure out what I want as I get older.”[4]

Cast edit

  • Jane Noury
  • Gabriel Golam
  • Laura Noury
  • David Noury
  • Mae Noury
  • Emma Noury

Episodes edit

No.TitleOriginal release date
1"Meet the Nourys"12 November 2021 (2021-11-12)
Jane is a senior in high school and she's ready to venture out of her small town, Sparta, New Jersey, starting with a modeling competition in Los Angeles.
2"Far From Jersey"12 November 2021 (2021-11-12)
Jane and Laura fly across the country to participate in trans modeling agency Slay's first modeling competition.
3"Life on Pause"12 November 2021 (2021-11-12)
As Jane's future opens up before her, the COVID-19 pandemic strikes. While quarantined together, the Noury family reflects on Jane's transition story.
4"Farewell, Sparta"12 November 2021 (2021-11-12)
Jane's surgery is a success. As she recovers, she has second thoughts about college and what the next few years may hold.

Release edit

The trailer was released on October 21, 2021.[5] All four episodes of the series premiered on Prime Video on November 12, 2021.[5]

Reception edit

Adrian Horton of The Guardian wrote, "The series offers a compassionate and understated window into a late adolescent experience still massively underrepresented on-screen."[4] Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that it is "in many ways a win for representation, positioning the story of trans teen Jane and her family as a cuddly (and very overt) argument for supporting and protecting trans kids," but concluded that "the docuseries wants for depth and specificity."[6] Indiewire published a critical review of the series, with Kristen Lopez writing, "The problem is the entire affair, too often, feels like inspiration porn. Where the joy for the audience is going to be seeing how inspiring Jane is — and little else."[7]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (30 September 2021). "'Always Jane': Amazon Prime Orders Four-Part Transgender Teen Docuseries". Deadline. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  2. ^ Rude, Mey (30 September 2021). "This New Amazon Docuseries Shows Us What It's Like Being a Trans Model". Out. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  3. ^ Yu, Yi-Jin (21 October 2021). "'Always Jane' docuseries shares 1 trans teen's coming-of-age journey". Today. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Horton, Adrian (9 November 2021). "'It's not just about being trans': Always Jane is a moving, intimate portrait of late adolescence". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  5. ^ a b Haas, Shawnee (23 October 2021). "'Always Jane' Trailer: Transgender Teen Jane Noury Shares Her Story in Four-Part Docuseries". Colllider. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  6. ^ Han, Angie (11 November 2021). "Amazon's 'Always Jane': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  7. ^ Lopez, Kristen (2021-11-12). "'Always Jane' Review: Trans Docuseries Is a Sweet yet Far Too Simple Exploration of Finding Oneself". IndieWire. Retrieved 2021-11-22.

External links edit