I Am Jane Doe

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.