David Bianculli

In Janice Ian Breaking Silence, the new documentary by Varda Barkar, you get to see and hear Janice perform it, while people such as actress Jean Smart talk about what the song meant to them.

In Janice Ian Breaking Silence, the new documentary by Varda Barkar, you get to see and hear Janice perform it, while people such as actress Jean Smart talk about what the song meant to them.

In Janice Ian Breaking Silence, the new documentary by Varda Barkar, you get to see and hear Janice perform it, while people such as actress Jean Smart talk about what the song meant to them.

Janis Ian won her first Grammy for At 17. When it was presented to her by Lily Tomlin, Janis noted the long gap between her first and second hit records in her acceptance speech, which I will now play in its entirety.

Janis Ian won her first Grammy for At 17. When it was presented to her by Lily Tomlin, Janis noted the long gap between her first and second hit records in her acceptance speech, which I will now play in its entirety.

Janis Ian won her first Grammy for At 17. When it was presented to her by Lily Tomlin, Janis noted the long gap between her first and second hit records in her acceptance speech, which I will now play in its entirety.

Janis Ian won her second Grammy not for singing, but for talking. In 2013, she won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for her reading of her just-published memoir, Society's Child. That memoir showed that Janice Ian was a gifted writer even when she wasn't writing lyrics. Her writing style is clear and honest, and the way she read her own words was both conversational and confessional.

Janis Ian won her second Grammy not for singing, but for talking. In 2013, she won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for her reading of her just-published memoir, Society's Child. That memoir showed that Janice Ian was a gifted writer even when she wasn't writing lyrics. Her writing style is clear and honest, and the way she read her own words was both conversational and confessional.

Janis Ian won her second Grammy not for singing, but for talking. In 2013, she won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for her reading of her just-published memoir, Society's Child. That memoir showed that Janice Ian was a gifted writer even when she wasn't writing lyrics. Her writing style is clear and honest, and the way she read her own words was both conversational and confessional.

The same elements shine through in this new film documentary, which has Janice Ian talking candidly about her past. Whether she's talking in vintage or newly recorded interviews, she's a gifted storyteller. Even when she's talking about such personal memories as her then-husband who abused her.

The same elements shine through in this new film documentary, which has Janice Ian talking candidly about her past. Whether she's talking in vintage or newly recorded interviews, she's a gifted storyteller. Even when she's talking about such personal memories as her then-husband who abused her.

The same elements shine through in this new film documentary, which has Janice Ian talking candidly about her past. Whether she's talking in vintage or newly recorded interviews, she's a gifted storyteller. Even when she's talking about such personal memories as her then-husband who abused her.

After that marriage, Janice Ian kept recording albums and writing songs, but approached her work and her life differently. She came out and wrote a regular column for The Advocate. She married again in 2003, this time to a woman, Patricia Snyder.

After that marriage, Janice Ian kept recording albums and writing songs, but approached her work and her life differently. She came out and wrote a regular column for The Advocate. She married again in 2003, this time to a woman, Patricia Snyder.

After that marriage, Janice Ian kept recording albums and writing songs, but approached her work and her life differently. She came out and wrote a regular column for The Advocate. She married again in 2003, this time to a woman, Patricia Snyder.

And after their marriage, she wrote a song about it, Married in London, which she performed gleefully in concerts until a medical problem with her throat forced her to quit touring.

And after their marriage, she wrote a song about it, Married in London, which she performed gleefully in concerts until a medical problem with her throat forced her to quit touring.

And after their marriage, she wrote a song about it, Married in London, which she performed gleefully in concerts until a medical problem with her throat forced her to quit touring.

Janice Ian Breaking Silence tells her story using several visual techniques, including animation and recreations. Not all of them work. But the best storyteller in this documentary is the artist herself. Whether she's singing or talking, Janice Ian is captivating. And in her 70s now, she's still quite precocious.

Janice Ian Breaking Silence tells her story using several visual techniques, including animation and recreations. Not all of them work. But the best storyteller in this documentary is the artist herself. Whether she's singing or talking, Janice Ian is captivating. And in her 70s now, she's still quite precocious.